THE COUNTY ELECTIONS.

Matamata Record, Volume XV, Issue 432, 7 May 1923, Page 2

THE COUNTY ELECTIONS.

ADDRESS TO RATEPAYERS. On County Council and Power Board Matters. On Wednesday evening in the Putaruru public hall a well-attended meeting of ratepayers was addressed by Mr. E. J. Darby, candidate for councillor for the Putaruru riding of the county and for the Thames Valley Power Board. Mr. J. Barnes, of Putaruru, was in the chair. In a fluently-delivered address Mr. Darbv stated that his aims were:— That, he would endeavour to obtain 20s worth of work for every £.l of ratepayers' money spent on the roads; the economical administration of the Council's all'airs; the freeing of the engineer as much as possible from office work; the expenditure on the roads in proportion to their importance to the greatest, numbers. He claimed that he had been working in the interests of the Putaruru township, and for the district as a whole, in the arduous but successful campaign during the last four years, in connection with Arapuni interests. He pointed out that if constant attention and unflagging energy were shown in the development at Arapuni . where the Minister of Public Works promised to obtain the best type ol bridge across the Waikato. linking up the Pukeatua territory with that ol Puketurua, and the townships of lo Awamutu and Putaruru, large tracts of valuable dairying country on the Pukeatua side, at present dealing with Te Awamutu, would in the '■• future transfer their trade to Putaruru. The very inferior bridge ami approaches at present existing forced the settlers lo trade with the mom i western township. Further, the presence of a good road and a good river

crossing would rapidly develop the tourist traffic from Te Awamutu to Arapuni, thence lo Putaruru and so on to Rotorua, the car journey between the stations being 33 miles. The importance of the new country mir-ht he gauged bv the fact that Pukoatoa produced 110,0001 b of hul-tev-fnt last vear, despite the fact that , the heavy cartage costs at present Imake lop-drossinff prohibitive. Ihiv i factor had .ilolnvecl the cutting Uli of ' the farms from lavtrc areas intr handv farms of 100 to 200 acres. Tr J the near future with' the presence ol ; a hWi-level bridge across the Waikato. or should it be suitable, acrosr ' the Arapuni dam, this district shouh , he nroducin" half a million pounds ol butter-fat. This would all make Pu i tarurnwards. A charge of 2kl pei 1 pound was made at the collecting ' stat'on at Pukeatua for cartaee to I ( Awamutu, one man paying £2O cart age on the cream from a herd of L ! In the spending of the rates, eacl part of the district will get a square i deal, town and country alike, said Mr j Darbv, should he be returned ai ! councillor. The past four years ha< j shown that he was a battler in tin . interests of the district, and he wa: looking fonvard with zest to a fur i thcr struggle in the interests of th I Putaruru riding. After giving satisfactory replies t( several interesting questions, on roa< business and Council work generally | Mr. Darby then addressed the meet I ing on Power Board affairs. He sai ' that during the past three years, n Ivfsits oT the one member whom the; ■ i had specially asked to protect thei i interests .electrically, had been mad i to the. outlying parts of the riding ■ He said he was not satisfied they ha< ! received a fair hearing, and he ha 1 determined to come forward as thei ! representative residing in their dis ! Mm'cL He had been asked to stam I down in order to avoid an election i hut had replied that in the interest j of his district, he had requested on j f the other members to make wa; | 'or him,.as a representative of a dis 1 ; ict at present very largely unserve. with electric light and power. H ; minted out it was a necessity tha • r ic member at least of the Thame Yilley Power Board should reside i t'"> Putaruru. district, in order to b r'i'e to do justice to the rapid (level o 'iicnt taking place in Pukcturu; 1./ -hfield, Waotu and Overdalc, all o v.' ich were unserved with electricitj The meetin.g unanimously supporte M•. Darby's candidature for th P< ver Board, and vould not conside hi withdrawal. \ resolution was unanimously car ri' I, "That this meeting has ever; confidence in Mr. Darby," and afte so' ,?ral eulogistic speeches made b; rai •■payers present, in Mr. Darby' favour, the meeting broke up with . hearty vote of thanks to the cliairmar