THE MAYORALTY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24605, 13 May 1941, Page 8

THE MAYORALTY

DR McMILLAN’S CANDIDATURE ADDRESS AT N.E. VALLEY EFFECT OF RENTS ON RATES Dr D. G. McMillan, the Labour candidate for the mayoralty, delivered an address at the North-East Valley Town Hall last night. The candidate said he had been asked why he was standing for the Otago Hospital Board. The reason was that he claimed to to know something about health administration and ho had been convinced for a long time that the Hospital Board affairs wanted a thorough clean up. 1t seemed to (him that he could perform very useful service on the board. The . speaker dealt with hospital expenditure, and said that he considered that the hospital organisation in New Zealand wanted a thorough overhaul. A saving in expenditure could, he claimed, be effected without any less of efficiency. He was strongly in favour of a homenursing scheme on the lines adopted by the Roslyn home-nursing body. The election contest, continued Dr McMillan, had crystallised around one issue, and that was the question of the general rate. “ Is it to go up Id or is it to go down Id?” he asked. Was the general rate to be 2s 3d or was it to be 2s Id? Those who wanted a general rate of 2s 3d would vote for the Citizens’ Association candidates and those who preferred a rate of 2s Id would vote for the Labour ticket. This affected rent-pavers as well as ratepayers. for increased rates meant in- * creased rent. Reply to Opponent Dr McMillan said that it was one of the courtesies of politics to reply to the policy statements of an opponent, so he would devote a few minutes to the extended report of the Mayor’s NorthEast Valley meeting in Saturday’s paper. Not that he could find much policy in it. for it was all criticism of himself, and he did not mind that. In public life one had to be able to take criticism, even when it was anonymous and unfair, as were many of the innuendoes and misleading statements that had appeared in the columns labelled “ Letters to the Editor.” He found these letters most encouraging, because the more bitter, misleading and unfair the attacks, the more he knew that the small Citizens’ Association coterie who wrote most of them saw victory fading in the distance and was making one last vain attempt to stay the rising tide of public opinion. ‘-■'■■ln the report of his address the Mayor seemed to resent his criticism of the'administration over the past three years. Dr McMillan said. This idea that the administration whose stewardship was under review should not be criticised was surely something new in electioneering, especially for the Mayor. In an editorial in the Otago Daily Times of April 26 1938, they read. “A reasoned and impressive indictment of the administration of civic affairs during the three years of misrule now drawing to an end was furnished in the speech in which Mr Allen opened his campaign as a candidate for the mayoralty.’ Even without allowing for the euphemistic phraseology of the editor, those who cast their minds back to last election would remember that the speech consisted of prolonged criticism of Mr Cox and his administration. Nor did they complain. Cr Allen had been quite entitled to criticise the Cox administration, but why was he so sensitive about criticism of his own administration? A comparison of promises with results readily explained this touchiness. The press, of course, tried to help out by carefully supervised reporting. They would notice in the newspaper report that Mr Allen “ refers to Dr McMillan,” while “Dr McMillan attacks Mr * Allen,” but this subtlety of press propaganda would not deceive many people. Labour Council’s Finance Did his opponent really think, Dr McMillan asked, that inaccurate statements should go unchallenged? It had been said, and it had been repeated ad nauseam by the press, until many people believed it, that financial difficulty faced the incoming Citizens’ Association council because the Labour council had left big bank overdrafts that had to be paid off. That was contrary to fact. On March 31, 1938, the collective state of the bank accounts was £52,000 in credit, while a year later it was £37.000 in debit, i.e.. the bank accounts had gone to the bad to the extent of £89,000. and it was to correct this drift which had taken place under their administration that the • Citizens’ Council diverted all the payments from the tramways renewal funds in 1939. Dr McMillan said he would like to issue a challenge to Mr Allen and ask him to reply to this question—“ Will the Mayor to-morrow night deny that the Labour Council had spent over £119,000 more on real renewals out of the renewal fund than the Citizens’ Association Council had spent during the past three years? The Labour Council from 1935 to 1938 had spent £274,000 on renewals as against £155,000 spent by the Citizens’ Association’s Council. Mr Taverner gave the real reason for the increase in rates in 1938 reported in the press of February 13, 1940. “Two years ago the rates were increased, the reason being the council desired to employ a larger number of men,” he had stated. Dr McMillan then went on to outline whai Labour would do if returned to office, and emphasised particularly reduced ground rents for sports bodies, an increase in the number of rides on tramway concession tickets, better transport services to suburbs, more footways and sealed carriageways in the suburbs, and a reduction in rates and electricity charges. He also appealed to all to take their civic privileges seriously and cast their votes for the policy that they thought was in the best ‘interests of the city and its citizens. Question of Health A member of the audience asked if the candidate could give them an assurance that his health would permit him, if elected, to carry out his duties. Dr McMillan said that no one could give such an assurance. No human being in the world could give a guarantee that he would live one day or two days, much less three years. That very night he had heard a screech of tyres and a person had been hurl in Princes street. No individual could give an' assurance that he was going to maintain his health. A lot of insidious propaganda had been issued regarding his health, and it had been said that the reason why he had resigned from the Cabinet was not the correct one. It was a personal matter, and had nothing to do with the mayoralty, but he would say that the reason given regarding his health was 100 per cent, correct. At the present time he enjoyed good health.—(Applause.) Brief addresses were given by Mr M. Connelly. M.L.C.. a candidate for the City Council, and by Mrs S. C. MacArthur, a Labour candidate for the Hospital Board. (Extended Report by Arrangement.)

MR ALLEN AT ROSLYN MUNICIPAL HOUSING SCHEME There was an attendance of about 90 persons at the Roslyn Presbyterian Church Hall last night, when Mr A. H. Allen, who is seeking re-election to the office of Mayor, addressed a meeting, Mr P. L. Ritchie occupied the chair. Mr Allen dealt with the municipal housing scheme, explaining the present council’s attitude to the low deposits asked by the previous council, and stated that the majority of those who had been unable to maintain their payments had been among those who obtained their loans on the low deposit. People, he said, who were able to pul down only £25 on a property worth up to £1230 were not in a position to go in lor homes of their own. His opponents, he said, blamed him and his council for raising a loan to fulfil the Labour council’s promises, and in the next breath blamed him lor not going on with the housing scheme subsequently. Reference was also made by the speaker to the increase in the general rate for the coming year, and he dealt with the Work done during the past three years on streets and footpaths. The patriotic work which was being done was also detailed. In connection with the rating question. Mr Allen referred to Dir McMillan’s promise that the rates would be decreased. This, he said, could be done-in three ways —by increasing the trading departments’ charges and so making larger profits; by making larger transfers from the trading profits; or by a furthei raid on the renewal funds. The last, he said, was the means by which it would be done if a Labour council were elected, and in the long run the ratepayers would have to make up tnc ar Dr in McMillan. Mr Allen said, haG been asked at a meeting how many council and committee meetings he had attended during the past three years. He had replied that he had not the figures. There had been HI council meetings during; the; term Mr Allen said, and Dr McMillan had attended 43 of these. LABOUR CANDIDATES

Several Labour candidates for seats on local bodies addressed meetings of electors last night. ~, In the George Street Hall, Mr Munro. M.P.. candidate for the City Council and the Harbour Board; Mr M. Silverstone. who is seeking election to the City Council and the Hospital Board, and Mr J. E, MacManus, a candidate for the City Council addressed an attendance of about 2o electors In a criticism of his opponents, Mr Silverstone described one of the candidates as a “ snake in the grass—one who pretends to be your friend and then stabs you in the back.” Dr McMillan also gave a brief address. . Addresses were given at the Mangold Salon. Anderson’s Bay. by Mr E. T Cox, a candidate for the City Council Mr D. Copland, who is standing for the Harbour Board, and Mrs H. Bullen. who is seeking election to the Hospital Board. Mr Cox, outlining the Labour Party’s policy for civic administration, said that a Labour Council would include in its housing scheme provision for flats for old-age pensioners in the central part of the city. At the Coronation Hall, Maori Hill, three Labour candidates addressed an attendance of six electors. Mr W. Hudson. who is standing for the City Council. criticised the advertisements published by the Citizens’ Association in the daily papers, and concluded by attacking the press itself. Mr R. Walls, a candidate for the City Council, the Otago Hospital Board, and the Otago Harbour Board, and Miss M. Egan, a candidate for the Hospital Board, also spoke. MEETINGS TO-NIGHT Mr A. H. Allen.—South Dunedin Town Hall. Dr D. G. McMillan—Roslyn Presbyterian Church Hall. Labour Candidates. —Methodist Hall, Woodhaugh; Macandrew Road School Hall; Presbyterian Hall, Opoho. Citizen Candidates. —Marigold Salon, Tainui. PROCEDURE FOR VOTERS NEW SYSTEM OF MARKING PAPERS (P.A.) WELLINGTON, May 12. In view of the early approach of the local body elections, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr W. E. Parry, has issued a statement on various matters affecting electors arising from the passing of the Local Elections and Polls Amendment Act, 1941. The Minister reminded voters of the altered polling day from the usual Wednesday to a Saturday, so that this vear polling day would be Saturday, May 17. The most important feature of ’ the recent legislation from the voter’s point of view was in the marking of the ballot papers. Previously, electors indicated their selection of candidates by striking out the names of those candidates for whom they did not wish to vote, but under the new system voters were required to indicate their selection of candidates by marking a cross opposite the name of each candidate for whom they wished to vote. Electors should be careful not to mark more crosses than the number of vacancies to be filled as indicated on the ballot paner. If this should happen the voting paper was liable to be regarded as informal. The same system of marking by a cross would apply to voting on loan, rating, or other similar proposals. At previous elections, the Minister added, some polls closed at 6 p.m. and others at 7 p.m. The closing hour of all polls had now been made uniform, and at the forthcoming elections the poll would close at 6 p.m. in all dsitricts.