Labour Campaign at Takaro

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 113, 14 May 1941, Page 8

Labour Campaign at Takaro

THREE CANDIDATES REPUDIATE CITIZENS’ TICKET Labour’s candidates for the Mayoralty and City Council continued their municipal campaign last evening when a splendid meeting of just op 300 residents of the Takaro area, was presided over by Mr. P. T. Jamieson, in the Takaro Hall. The chairman in extending an apology for the absence of Mr. J. Hodge os, M.P., who was in Wellington, said that he would like publicly to thank Mr. Hodgens for the attention and consideration he had always given to requests that had been made by residents of the area. Takaro, he said, had the most progressive Progressive Association in the city, and on this occasion were putting forward a Council candidate of their own in the person of Mr. E. H. [Smith. Mr. Murphy, in opening his address, mado mention of a press editorial which would saem to infer that Labour had taken a mean advantage in not disclosing their nomination for the Mayoralty before the closing date of nominations. It seemed that the press was taking sides in the campaign to keep Labour out at all costs. ‘‘Who was responsible for the publication of a so-called ‘ Citizens’ Ticket?* He did not know, but he had been asked by Mr. Heatley and by Mr. Hodgens to repudiate any connection at all with such a ticket. “This seems to be a move,” he said, “to spread the inference that Mr. Hodgens was deserting his colleagues, and i 3 anything but fair and above-board.’’

Mr. Murphy dealt at Ibngth with city affairs on lines similar to those at previous meetings, and criticised the Mayor’s attitude in regard to gasworks management. Mr. Mansford wanted to have his cake and eat it too, the speaker added, pointing out that although

publicly claiming, the credit for the present management, the Mayor later criticised the position of the gas accounts and said that it should be able to compete with the electricity department if it were properly managed. “What are we to understand by this peculiar attitude?’’ asked Mr. Murphy. 1 ' Surely the blame, if it exists, must rest on the shoulders of Mr. Mansford himself, who has been Mayor of the city for 10 years.’’ At the conclusion of his address which was enthusiastically received, Mr. Murphy said he would like to invite Mr. E. H. Smith, who was present, to take the floor and address the meeting. He said that Mr. Smith was a Takaro nominee for’the Council, and as an Independent candidate, had naturally, no connection with the Labour ticket, and he extended the invitation as a courtesy to Mr. Smith.

Mr. Smith said it was true he was a member of the Labour Party, but neither was he in any way connected with the “Citizens’ Ticket” nor did he desire to associate • himself with it. He had not been consulted about the inclusion of his- naihe in the ticket and was amazed at the action of those responsible for its publication; . Mr. Smith went on to detail his qualifications for the office of City Councillor, and said that he fully expected, after Saturday, to be serving on that body under Mr. Murphy as Mayor. Mr. B. Salmons and Mrs. Harrod spoke briefly in support of tho policy expounded by the Mayoral candidate, and said that if elected they would give full support to any proposal that was for the good of the city. Mrs. Bennett criticised the jittitu-do of an anonymous newspaper correspondent who had said it was a pity that women could not find something better to do than contest local body elections. The time was overdue, she said, for | women to take their place with men in j the government of city and local body j affairs, more especially when many o! ! tho departments were concerned with tho health and well-being of the citizens. She mentioned abattoir ; facilities in this connection and said that apart from the question of any economies that might be made, there was a great deal of room for improvement in this department from tfte health point of view. At the conclusion o<f the address Mr. Murphy answered several questions, one dealing with the flood menace from the tvawau drain. He said that Labour’s policy of three years ago was still the jnly one that was practical and feasible in this direction and advocated dealing with causes and not fiddling about with effects. The only permanent solution would be to divert the flow a.t the source of the drain, he said, by putting in a cut which would intercept the Kawau and the Mangaone well above the city’s northex-n boundary and divert the flow of water to tb* river above the gasworks. A motion of thank* <.o and complete confidence in the speal.ers was moved by Mr. H. Gray, who said that those present had listened to a reasoned' and dearly put case which was entirely free from personalities. The motion was duly seconded and was declared by the chairman to be carried unanimously.