MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 5563, 14 April 1905, Page 6

MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

.UR WARDELL AT NEWTOWN. At the Victoria Hail last night Mr T. Wardell addressed a very large mimbor •of electors. The chair was occupied by Air W. 11. Westbrook, who said ho was strongly in favour of Air Wardoll's proposals regarding cheap train fares, and ■thought they should have tho heiirty support of the working men of Wellington. HjO puintod to the beneficial results of cheap railway fares and freight rates, and claimed that they liad been a groat boon to tho colony in the developing of tho country districts, and in other ways. Cheap tram fares would / on,ally beneficial to tho city_ as a /noans of distributing tho population. ./rf- Wardell congratulated the citii;ons on having earned tho loan proposals regarding street lighting, water--.•orks. mid now destructor. Tho taking over of I ho street lighting would bo a ••on-hiorablo source of profit, and in his .•pinion the revenue derived .should bo ■Maoed to tho credit; of tho tramway do.i.ivnmuit. Speaking of tho private str/els question, ho said it should rcreive serious attention from the Conn's! when tho Parliament met for the next session. Referring to a proposal made to cut up tho Basin Reserve, and to purchase an area of land for <a reserve in the vicinity of Haining street, ho expressed himself strongly against it. The cost of purchasing tho proposed property would bo altogether prohibitive. It was well known that tho revenue derived from a slum area does not represent tho area’s real value. 'The Basin Reserve should be kept intact under all circumstances, for the reason that it was in tho neighbourhood of the city’s most closely populated district, and was absolutely necessary from a health point of view. He repeated his .arguments in favour of penny tram fares. In discussing tho Town Clerk’s report for tho municipal year 1903-4, the speaker pointed out that a table therein showed that Councillor Barber had attended thirty-eight Council meetings out of a possible forty-four, and thirty committee mootings out of a •possible two hundred and twenty-six. Tho conclusion must bo arrived at that Councillor Barber, during the year, had not done a fair share of tho work demanded of him by the ratepayers. Reference had been made by a candidate to the question of attendance to city affairs, and the _ candidate had ridiculed a man giving his whole time to municipal affairs. Others had taken similar views, and it was no wonder that blunders were made under such tsonditions, and that the city had suffered in consequence. If he (Air Wardoll) Wore elected, he certainly intended to devote all hfs time to municipal matters! Tlte enormous necessities of the city at the present time demanded the closest attention. At the conclusion of the address, a unanimous vote of confidence was passed to Mr Wardell by the meeting. VARIOUS CANDIDATES. Mr J. Smith had arranged to address the electors in tho Island Bay School last evening. On arriving there at 8 o’clock, he found a number of electors waiting outside tho locked and unlighted building. They waited and waited, but still no one in authority appeared, and at last Mr Smith' had reluctantly to give up his appointment. Considering the late stage of tho campaign, this is a considerable hardship to Mr Smith. The letter from the committee, written Inst Saturday, was as follows:—“Wo .'.ill ho pleased to let you have the choolroom on Thursday next.’’ Alt’ y-miili will speak at Kilbirnie this evening. Mr W. H. P. Barber, M.H.R., a .■andidatc for thfc Mayoralty, addressed a meeting in tho chnrchroom, Palm Grove, Berhampore, last evening, about fifty persons being present. Air G. Fleet was voted to the chair. Air Barber prefaced his address by reading a paragraph from a report, stating that Mr Devine had characterised an electioneering Mayor as an "abomination,” and had said • that Messrs Barber and Hislop were making the present contest. a question of supremacy for the Parliamentary event next November. Mr Barber stated that he was seeking election on the present occasion for the honour that the position conferred, and that he relied solely for support on his caroer as a Councillor, and did not look for, nor had he asked for, any assistance from a Parliamentary source. Ho then dealt with the private streets question, and pointed out that he had reproduced from “Hansard” his speeches in Parliament on tho subject, and that they were being distributed in pamphlet foam. He said a great deal about the smoke nuisance, and quoted from official records to prove that Alessrs Luke and Devine had displayed a great lack of sympathy with the public on this question. A vote of thanks and confidence was carried. Mr J. P. Luke addressed a meeting j>l district electors at Heginbotham’s Hall, Kilbirnie, last evening. Mr Peter Ellis presided. Tho candidate recited the part ho played in connection with the Greater Wellington, scheme, arid gave facts and figures anont the rapid growth of the Melrose district.. .He urged tho advisability of pushing on with tho water supply and electric lighting of the district now that the city had authorised the raising of money for tho purpose. Air Luke also advocated the erection of a retaining wall at the Kilbirnie end of Evans Bay for the purpose of reclaiming a largo area of shallow water that might easily be converted into a fine recreation reserve. Tho candidate made it clear that while he was in favour of those works put forward as desirable, ho did not favour any further borrowing daring the next twelve months. A hearty vote of thanks and confidence concluded the meeting. Air Hislop addressed a well-attended meeting at Brooklyn last night. He dealt with the questions which had been raised by his opponents. Be particularly emphasised his former remarks as to the changes required in administration. He did not wish to blame Councillors, but ho thought l here had been too little initiative. They seemed to have lost control. At i he conclusion of his address a vote of t hanks and confidence was carried amid great applause. . MEETINGS. Mr Hislop will address the electors at St. Mark’s Schoolroom this evening, at the Clyde, quay school to-morrow evening, and at tho Town Hail on Monday night. Mr Devine speaks at Victoria Hall this evening. The "Labour Six” ■ give addressee at Kilbirnie to-night, Air Luke will speak this evening in the Methodist school, Sydney street, and to-morrow night at Victoria Hall. Mr J. Smith invites electors to meet him at Heginbotham’s Hall, Kilbirnie, this evening. Mr Arthur E. Gibbs announces in another column that he is a candidate for a seat on tho City Council. KAEOEI. Mr Pearce will hold meetings at Mrs

O’Shea’s store. Tinakori road, to-night,, and at South Karon on Monday evening. Mr Tustin will deliver an address in tho Methodist School, Northland, this evening. Mr J. Lissington intends to stand for election to the Karori Council. Mr ('. -Stubbs, Karori, is a candidate for councillor at the coming election. Mr T. \V. McDonald will be a candidate for tho. Dower iiutt Mayoralty.