THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 19 April 1907, Page 2

THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

THE MAYOKAL CONTEST. 1 MR CJ. HARTLEY'S CANDIDA- t TURE. i PUBLIC MiETING IN THE ! THEATRE. A largely attended meeting of the mnicioal electors was held in tne 'heat c Royal last evening, when Mr !J Harley, a candidate for the Mayralty of Nelson, delivered an address nd expounded his views on municipal latters in the city. , Mr Geo. Stewart presided, and the nembevs of Mr Harley's election comnittee occupied seats on the platfoim. The Chairman, in introducing the :andidate, briefly reviewed the course ,f municipal affairs in Ne son for the ,ast few years. Referring to the Irainage scheme, he said that the reac.ionarits, led by the present Mayor, had >nee defeated the loan, and then had lone tKeir best to retard progress. Mr Stewart' also referred to the gas,vorks, the bridges, and other Council natters. The question the electors had Lo ask themselves, he said, was whether they would return a Mayor and Council w ho passed £4000 in extras without knowinc they were extras, or whether th Mayor and Councillors to be returned should be good business men able to look after the best interests of the city Applause). The thinking portion of lhe P community-those who had sanctioned the drainage, gas extension, and bridges renovation-would surely vindicate their past actions by returning Mr Harley. (Loud applause). Mr Harley, who received an ovation, said all would agree that the present position of municipal affairs in Nelson was hignly unsatisfactory. If these conditions continued it might bring depression and stagnation to the community He had felt it his duty to come out at thisuncture, to do what he could of his- duty to his native town. (Applause). The Mayor of the city was the really important member ot the Council. The Councillirs met once a fortnight, or in committee, and had no authority individually, It was the Mayor who, from day to day, controlled and watched the finance and administration. He it was who had to see that the expenditure did not exceed the income— he should know exactly how much money was going out. If elected ho would know to a penny how much was being expended every fortnight, and he would take care that the overdraft was not increased at the end of his term. (Applause). The Councillors left to the Mayor the executive work. It was the duty of the Mayor to take the instruction's of the Council at the fortnightly meetings, and give his directions to the City Surveyor. The Mayor also had to exercise tact i nthe conduct of the meetings, and in his relations with Councillors and Council's officers. Nothing was to be gained by the constant quarrelling and bickering. (Applause). As a native of the city ha had an ambition to be Mayor. (Applause). It was a worthy ambition. (Applause). He explained how he had been induced to come cut, and he felt that the present Mayor was not conducting the business of the city as iti should be done— that he (Mr Harley) could conduct it in a better and more businesslike way. (Applause). He was no novice, for he had served in the Council for 13 years. (Applause). Mr Piper had been associated with him for all that time. Sometimes he had been at variance from Mr Piper, at others (she two of them had been the best of friends, working together, shoulder to shoulder. They were still friends, and he (Mr Harley) had always been of the conclusion that Mr Piper had made an excellent and esteemed Councillor. (Applause). But as Mayor he lacked tact,— he was a strong-minded man and wanted to drive men instead of leading them. He would not speak to the City Surveyor, and gave all his instructions, in writing. (Cr. Grace: It is not true.) He (Mr Harley) did not know whether it was true or not; but Mr Piper had written to that effect in x letter to the newspapers. (Loud applause). Then, Mr Piper had quarrelled with the majority of the Councillors, and had even quarrelled with the designer and consulting engineer of the drainage scheme. It was impossible under these conditions for the business of the city to be carried on as it ought to (Applause). Mr Harley next dealt with the overdraft. He said the overdraft was now nearly £18,000. For the year the increase had been £625, which meant that the Council had over-spent its income to that extent. The legal limit of the overdraft was £21,500, and clearly the Council was perilously near it. The indebtedness of the city was, or would be shortly, £146,000— which was far too large for the population. The city was faced with a rate totalling 3s 6d in the £. Between March, 1903, and March, 1907, the overdraft had increased by £12,000, and for £10,000 of this the present Mayor was chiefly responsible — the Municipal Buildings and part of the cost of gas extension — loans which the ratepayers refused by large majoriti.i. He (Mr Harley) had been among the foremost agitators to have Ihe loans in question carried. But the ratepaye s had refused, and then hehad set liis face against doing any of the work desired out of overdraft. (Applause). It was the present Mayor, when Councillor, who, after the refusal by the ratepayers, brought forward a scheme to erect Municipal Chambers out )f overdraft. The various amounts were :o contribute towards interest and sinking fund. Mr Piper had stated a limit if £3000 for the Municipal Buildings, but as soon as Mr Stringer's tender ■ame in, he moved to rescind his own motion. The gas extension scheme 'iad also been a pet of Mr Piper, who could not rail at anyone about the iverdraft, having been himself respon;ible for £10,000 of it. (Applause). He Mr Harley) had left the Council principally because the overdraft was being piled up. He had been associated with Councils which looked with holy horror in overdrafts. When he left the Council, as stated, it was because he feared that the overdraft would reach GIO.OOO. Never, in his wildest dreams, !iad he anticipated that it would reuch 818,000 ! (Applauso). Mr Harley next dealt with the rates. At present the rate was praotically 3s Id in the £. The water rate was equivalent to 8d in the £ ; the drainage rate at present wbb 4d j Abattoir 2-3 d ; and altogether the rate was 3s Id, soon to be 3s 6d, in the £. Was that not very heavy for a quiet little town like Nelson? (Applause). Then, too, the scavenging fees, amounting to about £800 a year, were paid out of the general rate, equivalent to 3d In the £ — and hence the general rate was being havily taxed with ' this and other chargs. They might ask whether the rates could be lowered, and he said he thought they could. (Applause). The values of land and houses had gone up, and were going up, population was increasing, and the assessment should bo on the basis of the increment. The streets could be maintained at a Icbs expenditure than incurred this year, and he felt that 3s Id in the £ was a quite sufficiently high rate. So far as he was concerned he would never consent to an increase of the rates except under the direst necossity. (Loud applause), As to fhe gasworks, Mr Harley said they had a turnover of £10,000 a year — and yet they had no separate manager. 1 Was there any other business, of even less magnitude, in the city without a . separate manager ? Mr Henderson was, of course, in charge of the works, but he was also City Surveyor, and had numerous other duties. There should be a separata gas manager with about £300 a year, and he should have sole control, and it should be his business to make the best gas possible and sell as much of it at a profit as he could. (Applause), Pasing on to drainage, Mr Harley said he had always been in favour of an outfall over the Boulder Bank. (Applauso). Something like that might yet have to bo done, even with the saptic effluent ; but it was too late now to cavil at the accepted scheme, and all

should co-operate to push on with the t works. Tho poll had been taken three i years ago, alter three years' talk, and for 2i years £15,000 of the loan had been idle at 3 per cent, while the Council had to pay 44 per cent. In addition the Council: had to pay £800 a year for sanitary service. In three years threequarters of a septic tank had been erected! At) this rate not one of us would be alive when the whole scheme was completed. (Laughter and applause). It was only a matter of laying pipes, in accordance with a general scheme, and there should be no difficulty in starting the work in sections in various parts of the city. "elected he would do his best to have the work pushed on. (Loud applause . There should be no difficulty in getting the work through mi 18 months or two years. A separate engineer, paid out ol the loan, should have the supervision of the scheme, and he should be an ab e man. (Applause). It was impossible for the City Surveyor to supervise the work. The Mayor's heart was not in the drainage scheme, and hence it was dragging In addition, there was the deadlock with Councillors, engineers, and others. It could not be expected that matters would make progress under present conditions. With regard to the city bridges, Mr Harley said it was hard to realise that Normanby Bridge had been undecked and left in that condition for several months. At Collingwood-street Bridge all were agreed that repairs were needed. Then why were not the repairs made? Why leave the bridge as it was for so long when it should be strengthened? Could the Councillors say they had put their heart into accelerating the restoration of the bridges? Cretainly not, (Applause). . Mr Harley next spoke of the Maitai Bank and the road or drive it should carry. He said there was an Act which permitted the land along the river, from Dodson's aerated water factory to Scott's mill, to be made into a drive, and those who had back yards abutting on the boundary could have the first right of purchase. The drive could be made in six months, instead of hanging up the matter indefinitely. (Applause). He was also in favour of Milton's Acre being planted and beautified. (Applause). Mr Harley was of opinion that the retention of a City Surveyor was essential, and there would be no saving in abolishing the office. He received £300 a year. A foreman of works would receive £3 10s a week. Plans and specifications of works which the Surveyor had to prepare were constantly required, and if the work was given out, the cost would be fully 5 per cent of outlay, and there would be no saving. The City Surveyor also had to do a great deal of clerical work, which a foreman could not do. Without a Surveyor, with architects' engineers' fees, and the salary of an extra clerk, the cost would be 'greater than with the employment of such a work, and the work would not be done as well. As a matter of fact, the City Surveyor had too much to do. The gasworks should be taken away from him, and a separate manager appointed. (Applause). With regard to departments of the Council, if elected, he (Mr Harley) would have an inquiry made into each, to see what savings could be effected. (Applause). In connection with the Council elections, judging from the list of candidates, Mr Harley thought the majority of the old Council would go back. So far as he knew, that majority were good average citizens, with whom others could agree. He was prepared to work amicably with them; but he would be quite impartial. He would vote according to his conscience, with the majority or the minority, just as he felt would bo right. (Applause). He would do his duty, and see that the Council officers did* their duty too. (Applause). With regard to Mr Langlands, Mr Harley said a good deal had been said about his (Mr Harley's) connection with I that contractor. Now, so far as he I knew, Mr Langlands had built a rail- \ ! way bridge at Tadmor, and carried out the great stone contract for the harbour mole, and had given satisfaction. He had built the dam, and had made a good ob. He was building the septic tank, which Mr Mestayer declared to bo a satisfactory job. Mr Mestayer had been brought from Englnad to drain Adelaide, a place 20 times as large as '. Nelson. Because of his success there he was brought over to drain Wellington, being selected from among engineers throughout the world. He had said the soptje tank was a satisfactory job — and the only man who dissented from this was Mr Piper ! Mr Harley was proceeding to sa^ that ' Langlands and Co. had secured the | contract for the outfall sewer also, 1 when Cr. Grace interjected, "I hope ' there won't bo a crack in it," where- | upon Mr Harley created much laughter by speaking of the crack as a bogey which had made the Council get cracked, send for Mr Mestayer, and create a fuss generally, whereas cracks in concrete were as common as possible, | and easily mended. Mr Harley also j said that as a mistake had been made I in the original plans of the protecting wall, under a misconception of the strength of the tide, the best and most I businesslike way would be to come to bomii arrangement mutually satisfactory with regard to the erection of a cement instead of a clay and gravel wall. As to his relations with Mr Langlands, he had business dealings with him, and was his solicitor locally. But he (Mr Hai-ley) was also solicitor for hundreds of others. If elected he would do what he did when he was a Couueillor for 13 years. While Mayor, he would not act as lawyer for Mr Langlands or any others as ugalust the Council. (Applause). As to business connections with Mr Langlands, he (Mr Harley) had never been associated with Langlands and Co. s contracts. Like other business men and investors, he was in various concerns, but he was shortly severing Ins connection with both the Tonga Granite Company and with tho Brick and Pottery Company. (Applause). He would never let his private concerns or friendships interfere with his publicduty. As an instance of this, he might state that though Mr F. Trask a great personal friend, was opposed to it, he (Mr Harley) had taken a leadin" P ? ,a" « ett -' n S t>"> Abattoir established. (Applause.) Then Mr Geo. Rout had been a friend since childhood. They had been brought up together, and hail bee,, „, tne Council together, Yet, ho (Mr Harley) had consistently opposed Corporation funds being expended for the benelit of Mr Geo. Rout's Waim.i estate (Applause). Every time Mr Rout sought the spending of Council money on the estate he (Mr Harley) had opposed it till their frieiahhip had beJn broken off for two years, and it had never been properly patched up l\ Voice : It's not your fault), was not unreasonable. While he had opposed and still opposed Council money being spent to reclaim land that was to benefit any individual, he had looked at Wai-nui-street, and aay what now, as improvements had been achieved and houses had been built and occupied the residents in the vicinity should receive «"$„££?""" as olher r^yIn conclusion Mr Harley read the Pledges in his manifesto to the electors, published in our advertising columns and said that was his %latwn,WH ( f P^- Bn ? ) - He dedared that » c would do his best to carry out those pledges to the utmost. (Applause.) If the electors agreed with his views he asked them to vote for him on polling day. (Loud and prolonged applause). Questions were invited, but none were forthcoming, Mr Wm. Lock, in a eulogistic speech moved a vote of thanks to and confidenc^in Mr Harley, am id loud apMr Fredk. Atkinson seconded the resolution, and said that all sensible men and women would vote for Mr Harley even if the.* was a crack in the tank. (Laughter and applauso) The resolution was carried with acclamation, there being only a few dis sentients, mostly boys and Hip m ♦• terminated -itlf th/ee eh£4 ,w J35

the Druids' Hall at 8 o'clock this evening-