The Municipal Elections.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 866, 5 October 1888, Page 14

The Municipal Elections.

ADDRESSES OF THE TE ARO CANDIDATES. The candidates for the Te Aro seat 9 inthe Council addressed a meeting of the ratepayers at the Rechabite Hall on Wednesday night. There was a large attendance, and Mr P. Coffey wa3 voted to the chair. Mr W. P. Barber said he should not speak long, being new to public life, and unwilling to make any rash promises. Ilis object in coming forward was to serve the city of his birth, in which he had lived for 32 years. With respect to finances, i( the amount of the debt of the city, £437,000, had been judiciously expended, he thought the city would have been much better served. As to reorganisation of the Corporation stajf - ,. he would' bo prepared to consider the matter, and, if necessary, advocate reorganisation. He considered that the rates were already high enough, aud should not ba increased. He approved the purchase of tho Destructor ; and in conclusion expressed his willing, ness to answer any question that might be put to him. In answer to questions, Mr i Barber said he thought the Mayor’s soheme

for completing drainage was a very feasible one.

Mr A. W. Brown, who was well received, explained his reason for standing for the City Council instead of for the mayoralty. Dealing with the programme submitted by Mr T. K. Macdonald, he said it suggested to him the idea that undue interest was centred in the mayoral election as compared with the elections to the Council. The Mayor after all was only one, and could not, . ( as Mr Macdonald said, pledge himself to reform unless he had a Council similarly pledged. He disagreed with Mr Macdonald as to reorganisation of the Corporation ser- • vices. Having had experience of the efficiency of the system, he could not believe that that efficiency had been lost since he was Mayor two years ago. At the same ; time he woulu agree to carefully investigate • these matters. He agreed that there should . be no increase in the rates ; and with rei spect to drainage, was in favour of doing all that could he done to extend it. As to ■ not selling the reclaimed lands, he did not know that it had ever been proposed to sell i them, and he would brand aB a traitor any i man who did propose it. The question of taxing absentee land-owners was one which Mr Macdonald could argue better, he thought, when he stood for a seat in Parliament. (Applause.) With respect to taking over absentee land, he jassured them that any man who had left his land unoccupied for a number of years would have to pay arrears before he could do anything with the property. He was in favour of taking over private streets, with a view to preventing in the future the evils that now existed iu connection with these streets. As to the reclaimed land leaseholds, he commented on the fact that eight of the members of tho Council legislated on a matter in which they were interested. He should be decidedly in favour of protecting the city 8 interest first. He thought the Corporation should get hold of the Botanic Gardens, ’ and the ratepayers would then offer no objection to money being spent on the recreation ground. He thought the question of railway extension to Te Aro would assume greater, prominence presently, aud theratepayers should, he thought, insißb on something being dono in the matter. Having sacrificed a large amount of land on tho reclamation to the Government, he thought they should insist on the railway being taken to the foot of Tory-street at anyrate. He did not think the finances of the city were at all in a straitened condition. What they wanted was not to go into any fancy schemes, but to keep close to ordinary work. At the samo time, he did not for a moment condemn the electric light scheme or the Destructor, or make any reflection on particular persons. Iu conclusion he said that he should not. canvass, nor should he have any cabs on the polling day ; but he would ask those who supported him to record their votes for him. (Applause.) In answer to a question from Mr Cameron, Mr Brown said, so far as their money would go, they ought to keep the Thorndou reclaimed lard streets in good order. > Mr Thomas Carter, who was received with prolonged cheers, declared himself a reformer, and stated his intention to reorganise the whale lot. (Laughter.) He would have reporters at every meeting—no boiling down establishments for him. He was of opinion that it would take £200,000 to drain the oity instead of £14,000. As to the Destructor, all the good it had done was to pay part of a gentleman’s expenses to England. He failed to see why the Council should take over private streets, and he believedithe Council had taken rates illegally from people in these streets for somo years. 1 As to a reoreation ground in Thorndon,} he considered it monstrous to ask people at Te Aro end to pay far a recreation ground at Thorndon. He was in favour of. rate’s on frontage, and also in favour of establishing fresh and saltwater baths. He expressed an opinion that the salary of - theehgiueer: to the Harbour Board, which was ;£1450 a 'year, he believed, should be looked; into ; and he would not be. at all surprised if they found one morning that the woolshed had fallen iD. . (Laughter.) He ridiculed: the statements of offensive and bad drainage from the cemetery, and said that “if a thirty-stone man” was buried there no matter would percolate through the ground more than 2£ inches. (Applause.) Mr. J. H. Heaton explained that the Harbour Board engineer received £BOO a year, and no more. (Applause.) ' With respect to Corporation questions, Mr Heaton said he did not consider the City'finances at all in a bad conditionj and he pointed out that the overdraft 1 was being gradually decreased. All the new Council had to do was to keep expenditure within limits so far as possible. He opposed auy increase of rates. He had voted for the Destructor in the first place, but would not do so again. It had cost £I3OO to put it into the yards, and would cost a great deal more, he thought, before it was done with. He thought the ratepayers should thank the Mayor for what he had done in connection with the electric light, because that lightwould be a great benefit to the city. Y/ith reference to drainage, he considered it best to make the harbour the depository for the present. He was in favour of taking over private streets, and also of maintaining the Thorndon reclaimed land streets. With respect to improving the town belt, probably the ratepayers were not aware that a fifth of the revenue from the town belt went to the Government to enable the Botanic Gardens to bo kept in order. He would, therefore, be in favour of the Council taking those gardens over. He thought the ratepayers were greatly indebted to Mr Kennedy Macdonald for the ability with which he had opposed that Bill and prevented it becoming' law. As to city baths, he thought the Corporation already had enough to do without taking up such matters, which might well be left to private enterprise. At the same time he would give every concession to persons taking the matter ppi it® agreed' With M r Carter ip connection vyith the cemetery. (Applause.)

Mr J. Fetherick, whose appearance wag the signal for a slight uproar, said he waa sorry to notice that some people had ap. parently come there to make game of him, and that there were people present who generally came to harass the candidates, (Cries of Name !) Weil,, he Bald Mr :C. A. Knigge there. Mr Knigge pretested against his name

being used in that way as impertinent and an insult. He left it to the public to judge him. (Applause.) .■. Mr Petherick : I say you arc continually doing it 3 you make a practice of it» Mr Knigge s You state what is untrue. Qbairuian hoped that gentlemen who had- differences would not settle them in Bublic, but deal with them outside. p Mr Knigge: Petherick, come outside. 1 Petherick, proceeding, said he had enemies, he knew, bnt you would always find it that way if a public man came to the f °A voice : That’s why Knigge went to the fr °Mr Petherick: I hear Councillor Richard, son's voice saying.“ That’s why I came to the front.” (daughter.) - Mr Richardson explained that he had not opened his mouth. :Mr Petherick dealing with public questions, regretted that they were not able to do more for the public streets. He objected to the site of the : Destructor, and hoped the water supply would be sufficient to work the electric light. If they had to resort to steam power the coat would be doubled. With reference to drainage, he was inclined to think it- would cost £IOO,OOO to rnakean efficient system. In the Council He had not served his own interests, but those of the citv He had been a reformer, and so he would be again if he were elected—not a critic as one Councillor,claimed to be. He had incurred odium, as a reformer always did bsc if lie were again elected he would continue to do his best for the citizens. a john Smith, who was well received, said he had during his three years’ serv.oe done bis best for the city—(hear, hear) and if elected he would do so again. He pointed out that the money that would otherwise bo scent on streets was now expended on drainage, which was, under the circumstances, the best thing that could be done. If the Mayor’s scheme was found feasible he thought it would be a good thing for the citv • some such plan ought, he considered, to be adopted. The water supply would, in the opinion of the City Engineer, be sufficient to work the electric light,, and he thought they should take the opinion of that officer. Certainly the light would be a great improvement to the city. As to the Destructor, he thought that If present expectations were realised that also would be of great benefit. He was in favour also of the use of earth closets in localities that were not well drained. He held that the charge for charitable aid should fall on the whole of the community, and not on ratepayers alone. He thought a frontage rate would be a good one because it would not tax improvements. He hoped the city would te in favour of voting money toward, reinstating the Postoffice clock., (Applause. ) He warmly advocated railway extension to le Aro, and thought the sooner it was done the better, because it would bring revenue to the Go. vernment and an advantage to the city. (Applause.) In conclusion Mr Smith said that he asked the ratepayers to elect him because he had a good deal of time on his bauds, and because he had a liking for the work. (Prolonged applause.) A vote of thanks, to the Chairman coneluded the meeting. ~ •