THE ELECTION.

Franklin Times, Volume 14, Issue 189, 27 April 1925, Page 4

THE ELECTION.

(Published by Arrangement)

To the Editor). Sir, —We, the undersigned, respectfully_request the electors of the Pukekohe borough to cast their votes in favour of the /present Mayor, Mr John Routly, so that his re-election may be assured. Our reason for asking this is that we are convinced that Mr Routly is the best man for. the position. The knowledge gained by him during his four years' occupancy of the Mayoral chair will be of the utmost value in the present state of local I affairs whilst his clear grasp of figures and of finance generally, his strong personality, transparent honesty, and fixity of purpose, make him the outstanding figure in local politics at the present time. If he is-re-turned with a council who will work harmoniously with him, we are sure he will do a power of good work for our town. Many matters are bound to arise in the near future where our

interests will be in conflict, with those of other bodies, and it is' absolutely vital, in our opinion, that a Mayor should be elected with a thorough knowledge of borough business, and also with a strong personality, so that our interests will be safeguarded. Many instances can be given where Mr Routly has already been of great service in this direction.. It will be seen in the short manifesto published in to-day's Times that Mr Routly promises the ratepayers a positive reI duction in their rates. Mr Routly can be relied on to make this pledge good, and this promise alone should win for him the whole-hearted support of everyone who has the welfare nf 6uF town at heart. '' We are convinced that when this takes place, it will not only be a great relief to the ratepayers, but also a splendid advertisement to outsiders that Pukekohe is again on the up-grade. The reason that our town is not progressing as fast as we would wish is want of confidence, and when it is announced that our rates have been reduced, it is inevitable that outsiders will be induced to come and make their homes in Pukekohe. The reason why we are opposed* to the majority of the present council is that several of them promised a reduction in rates, but what was the result?—and valuations were raised and so also were our rates. In view of the heavy burden already carried bY taxpayers, and the present state of the borough finance, we consider Mr Routly to be absolutely sound when he states that he is against further borrowing or the raising of further sums of the loans already auth orised, except under the most urgent necessity, and only after a. vote had been taken on the issue. We believe it is the general opinion that a halt should be called in borrowing. At the same time, the works now in the course of construction should be completed, and the work of maintaining these, as well as those now in existence, should be economically carried on. Economy \»lth efficiency is v always promised by aspirants to public of- ! fice. It sounds well, but it is very difficult to bring about, as those who have tried will be the first to admit. It may be brought about by the sacrifice of what is regarded as a public utility, by re-organisation, or by a reduction in salaries. In many cases where tried economy has been effected at the cost of efficiency, confusion of business, and hardships to individuals. This matter will have to be approached very carefully and, in our opinion, can only be dealt with satisfactorily by a Mayor with an intimate knowledge of the borough business. Further, we think that too much is being made of the differences in the council chamber. It is said that it takes two to make a quarrel. It was patent to all from the outset that Mr Routly, who had been returned Mayor by a substantial majority, was to preside over our council that were openly hostile, and who showed that they were determined to oppose him on almost every matter. Therefore, it cannot be wondered that on some occa sions a little heat was shown by the Mayor when matters were brought forward by him that he considered were in the interests of the town, and were turned down by these councillors for what, in his opinion, was no other reason than the fact that he had brought them forward. As we consider it will be altogether in the interests of the borough to elect councillors that wlil approach the council table with an unbiased mind, and so be able to deal with each matter that arises on its merits, we respectfully ask you to vote for the following candidates, Messrs G. H. Armstrong, J. 'Bellhouse, D. R. Hamilton, F. J. Morrow, W. J. Short, H. D. Young. Some of the candidates, it is true, have not had previous experience in borough affairs, but from our personal knowledge of them/we are confident that, if elected, they will make good. Moreover, they will be associated with men of proved ability for public service, and altogether the "ticket" is one that j should be acceptable to the electors, j

and, if honoured with election to office, should render first-class service to the borough.—We are, etc., — T. PERKINS. J. CROSBIE. J. H. KEITH. J. B. SIM J. KENNELLY. J. ROULSTON. T. BROWNLEE. Pukekohe, April 27, 1925.