MUNICIPAL ELECTION

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 9185, 6 January 1891, Page 4

MUNICIPAL ELECTION

ME PEARCE AT PEINCESS THEATRE. Mr Edward Pearce, one of the candidates seeking election for a seat in the City Connoil to represent To Aro Ward, addressed a meeting of ratepayers in the Princess Theatre last night. There were about 50 present, and the chair was occupied by Mr Heaton, Mayor of the Borough of Melrose, who briefly introduced the Candidate. Mr Pearce, who was received with applause, prefaced his remarks by giving as his opinion that Wellington was before long destined to be the principal city in New Zealand. Eeferring to municipal affairs, he said if he was elected he would do his best to have all private streets taken over by the Council. (Hear, hear.) Ho looked upon the reclaimed land as one of the finest assets the Council had, and it should be carefully looked after. Ee* ferriug to drainage, he said he would support the late Mayor’s scheme. He did not believe in wasting money by patching up old drains or filling the harbour with filth and breeding sickness. He would suggest that the night soil be pumped to sea by way of Happy Valley, or else to utilise the nightsoil for a sewage farm at Mr Crawford’s. Eeferring to the question of fire insurance, Mr Pearoe said he greatly favoured municipal tire insurance, as he thonght the profit from it wonld pay the interest on the drainage loan and give insurers a lower premium. He could not compliment the Corporation upon the manner in which the streets were cleaned. There were not enough men employed, and water was stinted. The system of clearing away the rubbish was anything but satisfactory. The carts were unsuited, and the men seemed to go abont their work in an idle and off-handed sort of fashion. Eeferring to the Wainui o-mata water supply, he considered the undertaking an excellent one, and was surprised to sea so few water carts about when there was an almost un. limited supply of water at hand. In conclusion, Mr Pearoe said the ratepayers were entitled to more consideration for the rates they paid. As to the Te Aro railway, ha believed that if the Government refused to do the work it could bo carried out by private enterprise, because he thoroughly believed that the money for forming the railway to Te Aro could be raised privately within 24 hours. (Hear, hear.) He had no axe to grind, and if elected would do his utmost for the city generally, Te Aro Ward in particular. The candidate resumed bis seat amidst applause. The Chairman intimated that Mr Pearoe would be willing to answer any questions. In answer to Mr J. Young, the candidate said ho wonld willingly do anything in his power to bring pressure on the Halt County Council in the way of checking the offensive smells noticed along the Hutt road. In answer to Mr Jones, Mr Pearoe said he was in favour of having the streets cleaned in the busy parts of the city before 8 o'clock every morning. To another ratepayer Mr Pearoe said he would favour water carts going round the town on Sunday mornings, and would do his best to remove all ill-smelling places from the centre of the city. Mr P. Cohen proposed, and Mr W. Hunt seconded, that Mr Pearoe was a fit and proper person to represent the ratepayers of Te Aro in the City Council. The motion was carried unanimously, and the usual compliment to the Chairman tormiaated the meeting. MR CLERE AT THE FORESTERS’ HALL. Mr F. de J. Clere’s address at the Foresters’ Hall last night was heard by over a hundred ratepayers. Mr C. F. Richmond was voted to the chair, and, in opening the meeting, remarked that the smallness of the attendance there was probabably due to the fact that a facetious speech was expected at another ball in the same street.

Mr Clere, who spoke for about an hour, referred first to the construction of the City Council, and expressed an opinion that the ratepayers should endeavour to elect men representing different Interests and occupations rather than local interests. He strongly advocated that the Mayor should be elected by the Councillors, and thought that if that were done more interest might bo taken in the ordinary municipal elections. At present local interests might prevail to such an extent that men would bo opposing each other purely on that account, whereas i£ the interests of the city as a whole were more generally considered there would be less danger of log-rolling. At the same time he did not wish to bo understood as criticising the present personnel of the Council. As an outsider, ho saw tilings which he thought should be altered, but without actual experience he declined to make any promises. With respect to finance, he did not suppose that men like Mr Dnthie and others, who were well acquainted with financial matters, bad allowed the finances to get into a state of muddle, or that if they could get money cheaper than it was now obtained they would not do so,, No donbt, if any advantage could be gained now that money w«*s cheaper the Council would gain it. Whatever was done, however, the raising of rates was a matter which ratepayers must very seriously eonaider, with a view to avoiding it if possible. If things were absolutely essential, then, of course, they must consider, as they would in their private expenditure, whether something else could not be fore, gone. He was in favour of economy, but wished it understood that he did not mean by that cutting down wages —he believed it was false policy to pay badly for advice and services. In the past there had been a good deal of extravagance over drainage Bystems, and whether or not the schemes which had been submitted would be available now he did uotknow; but if without seriously increasing the rates they could improve the drainage he thought it ought to be done, and he pointed out that Wellington wonld gain in many ways from bettor drainage. As to the contract system of doing works, ho disapproved of it, as pos. sibly tending to sweating, while it did not appear to promote economy. Ho strongly advocated putting money on ono aide for the maintenance of roads, to prevent the inconvenience frequently caused now by roads becoming water-races after heavy rains. Answering a suggestion which had been made to him, Mr Ciere said he would be in favour of making people keep to their right sides of footpaths if some way of achieving that object were shown him. Referring to the destructor, be agreed that some alteration in the method of collecting rubbish for it was necessary, and suggested that the English plan of dustbins might work well. The destructor, however, did cot seem to have been as successlul as the electric light, and while upon that subject he might mention a very good suggestion which had been made to him. There was a great waste of water in connection with the electric light, and it had been suggested to him that that water might be utilised for swimming and [ordinary baths. If the Council did not see its way to taking up this very necessary work, be had no doubt a syndicate coaid readily be formed to do it for the benefit of the people. In England snob baths could be used by’ women for washing clothes, and in winter time a floor was laid down so as to form a hail for public meetings. Mr Clere expressed an opinion that the building regulations needed revision, and pointed out that many of them were copies of those_ in force in Christchurch, which, as a low-lying city, had requirements different to those of Wellington. He thought also, that the Corporation Engineer should have more discretion in carrying these by-laws ont. He disapproved of any proposal to dispose of the reclamation leases below a fair rent • and with respect to taxation, thonght the frontage rate should not always be adhered to, but that a tax of a percentage on the capital value of a section should bo sob. stitnted. He advocated the Council taking over all private streets, and thought it should be in the discretion of the Council to make through streets narrower than a chain, with a minimum of 40ft, The town belts might, be believed, be kept in better condition by committees of ratepayers under some general scheme. (Applause.) Answering questions, Mr Clere said he would be in favour of having better firealarms established. He did not know that the building regulation fees could be reduced, but thought those paid for water-olosets oonid —that a person should not pay double these because he had two closets in a house. He wonld support the loan consolidation scheme if it were shown to be advisable. On the motion of Mr J. Kitchen, seconded by Mr Henshelwood, it wag unanimously resolved that a vote of thanks and confidence in Mr Clere should be passed, and that the meeting should pledge itself to secure his election. A vote of thanks to the chair concluded the meeting.