CITIZENS' VIEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24606, 14 May 1941, Page 8

CITIZENS' VIEWS

candidate's opening speeches past policy depended dr McMillan taken to task r Over 100 electors gave five Citizens' candidates for the City Council an enthusiastic reception in the Marigold Salon, Tainui, last night, when they opened their election campaign. The speakers were Messrs L. M. Wright, E. J. Smith, W. B. Taverner, M.. C. Henderson, and L. J. Ireland. Mr W. Marshall presided, and with him on the platform were Messrs J. McCrae and T. C. Ross, candidates for the City Council. Mr Wright, in a criticism of the Labour candidates' promises, stated that a reduction of Id in the general rate on a property, the rateable value of which was £52, would mean the payment of only Id per week less bythe ratepayer. On the other hand. Labour had not promised not to reimpose the hose tap charge, which would mean the payment by ratepayers of another 2d per week so that he would be " down the drain" by a penny per week. The Housing Scheme The fact that when the present council took over from Labour in 1938 there was a deficit of £85,000 was stressed by Mr Taverner, who said that that amount was equivalent to a 9d rate. In meeting the situation, he said, not one individual had been dismissed by the council. Mr Taverner explained why the housing scheme had been suspended. He stated that originally the term of the loan was 30 years, and this.period fixed the rent at from 30s to 335. When the council inquired about another loan it was informed by the Government that the period had been reduced to 25 years, which would have meant a rise in rent of 3s a week. This coming with the declaration of war and the going overseas cf so manv young men caused the council to suspend the scheme. Moreover, he added, it cost from £IOO to £2OO more ti> build a house at present. ■ The council approved of the housing scheme and was not influenced by. " moneylenders " in suspending it. In these days of war, Mr Ireland said, he had little regard for people who placed their Communistic ideals before loyalty to the Empire. If a man were a Communist or a member of the Left Book Club he should sink all his ideals in the winning of this struggle. Loyalty and competence, he said, were the first requirements of a councillor. Mr Ireland criticised the abuse of the Sabbath bv the Labour Party in holding a meeting in the former Left Book Club rooms on a Sunday night, when the advertised speaker was Mr M. Silverstone and the subject the municipal elections. Mr Henderson mentioned that in the Labour council's term of office the profits in the Electricity Department went up by over £30,000. but. even though Dr McMillan had been chairman of the Electricity Committee, no reduction in the charges to consumers was made. He asked electors not to be misled by empty promises now. He also mentioned that if electricity charges were reduced too much the Gas Department would become a call on the rates. It was not the time, he stated, to talk about modernising the tramway system. It was war-time. Need for Unity Opening his address. Mr Smith deplored the holding of municipal elections in war-time " Here we are," Mr Smith said, " with the British Empire fighting for its very existence, our own ooys in Egypt, Crete and elsewhere by the side of the Mother Country' in her noble fight for right against might, for the ideals of Christianity against the enormous forces of evil led by that arch-fiend Hitler, and yet we have forced upon us an election costing thousands of pounds which might, well have been devoted to patriotic purposes and comforts for our soldiers, sailors and airmen, and an election which must inevitably cause a certain amount of heart-burning, bitterness and discord when, if there is one thing more than another that is wanted in the country at the present time it is unity. I don't care what a man's politics are at the moment," he added, " let's sink all differences of opinion and get on with the war.

"It is a thousand pities, I think, that the British Labour envoy. Mr William Holmes, had not come to New Zealand earlier than he did," Mr Smith continued. " Here is a man who certainly did talk sense; and very sincerely and very tellingly showed how necessary it was for the nation to be absolutely unified during the present crisis. I am very certain he would not have advocated elections of any kind. Elimination of Caucus Control

"There must be no caucus control from outside the council," Mr Smith continued. "I want to say here and now from my own experience during the past three years on the council that the Citizens'-Committee has never once sought lo interfere with me in the exercise of my duties or my vole, and that is the experience of every Citizens' candidate. They leave us absolutely unfettered to vote according to our judgment and as our consciences dictate.

" I am not bigoted enough nor nar-row-minded enough to say that the so-called Labour members are never right," he addsd. " I would always vote with them on any question if I thought they were correct. I have done so on several occasions, but what I am trying to emphasise is that all elected councillors should be entirely free to vote as they please.

"The record of the present council," Mr Smith continued, " has been an excellent one. Just picture for a moment the legacy inherited from the outgoing Labour Council. For the first time in the history of the Dunedin City Corporation (except oh one occasion when Mr Lewin was ill) the last council did hot produce a budget before it went out of office. Why? Because it was either ashamed of it or afraid of the consequences! I see that Dr McMillan gives the lame excuse that there is a great difficulty in getting the figures ready in time, and the staff has to do a lot of overtime. Yet the facts are that during the 76 years of the existence of a council in this city it never happened before (except, as I said, in on s instance, owing to the town clerk's serious illness)!

" Will ex-Councillor Silverstone, as the then chairman of finance, deny that he deliberately avoided the production of his budget before the last election? " Mr Smith asked.

"To make up their deficiency and to clear up the mess," he said, "we had to do what is always an unpleasant thing—that is, to put up the rates from 4s lOd to 5s 3d in the pound for one year, but we determined we would get them down again as soon as possible. By judicious management and careful finance we reduced the 5s 3d rates to 5s 2d. then to 4s lOd, and now to 4s 9d, so that after our general clearing up of the Augean Stables the rate is now less than when we took office. Not only this, but we have once more put our renewal funds ori solid ground—a Herculean job in itself! " When Labour assumed office." he said, "these funds stood at £522,530, but they were steadily diverted until in 1938 they dropped to £405,938. but we have built them up again through our three years of office until they now stand at £509,632. "We didn't do that by a wholesale sacking of employees." the candidate continued. "In fact, I think the Government and the Labour Department would be the first to admit that this council, which some people are pleased to call a ' Capitalistic Council.' has assisted them at every point to keep .scheme 13 men in work. Dr McMillan's Attendance Record " Now a few home truths for Cr McMillan and not half-truths. First of all," Mr Smith said, "I shall give his attendance at council and committee meetings because I see when asked on this matter he said he had not the figures and I like to oblige a friend. They can easily be verified by reference to the annual reports. Here they are: 1937-38 .. .. 34 per cent. 1938-39 .. .. 19 per cent. 1939-40 .. .. 42 per cent. "The 1940-41 figures are not yet obtainable," the candidate added, " but he will be lucky if he gets a 40 per cent, pass. Since the council resumed this year he has attended 12 out of 44 meetings. Even these figures are flattering to him for on numerous occasions he has come late to meetings and lei't early, but has been marked present. Indeed, en the last but one of the ordinary meetings of council he was there for only the last five minutes of the meeting, and the last ordinary meeting he did not put in an appearance at all. " If therefore he seeks election to tho mayoral chair on the ground of attendance and attention to the council's business during the past four years," Mr Smith stated, " then if there is any of the British justice he talks about he should be a bad second. " One cannot but be amazed at -lis attitude of bland assurance," he continued, " and now after his unenviable record of.attention to his duty to the electors of Dunedin he ccolly comes along and says he thinks the general rate should be 2d lower than the recommendation of the Finance Committee. This meant a reduction of £11,672, and he was strongly challenged to say what expenditure he was going to cut out. but he could or would give "none. "A sub-committee consisting of Cr Taverner. myself and the town clerk spent hours of time and thought in bringing down this report, and considered very carefully what else could be omitted," Mr Smith said. "And then Cr McMillan glibly talks about reducing tram fares, electricity charges, etc.. but when challenged by his fellow councillors can make no suggestion. He is entitled, of course, to have his opinion and to express it. but when that is "not accompanied by any possible or concrete reason for his opinion this suggestion is so much extra playing to the gallery and can carry no weight whatever to the thinking public. He may be able to go on to the public platform and in an airy, fairy way talk about what he is going to do. but when tackled in earnest in the Council Chambers, where his fellow councillors know as much about the position as he does, he remains dumb as a sheep. Reduction of Rates "The Labour Party," he continued, "is now setting great store by its advertisement, which reads: ' General rate to be increased by Citizens' Council to 2s 3d in the £; Labour will reduce it to 2s Id.' This is a mere insidious attempt to 'pull wool over the eyes' of the electors, and is consistent with the half-truths which the Labour Party is so fond of trying to 'put over.' Take a rate notice and you will see the various sub-headings—-general rate, drainage rate, hospital rate, water rate and so on. Some people who are not accustomed to these things might quite easily be deceived into believing that a heading ' general' rate means all his rates. That, of course, is not the case at all, and the fact is that the sum total of a man's rates are being reduced by Id, that is, from 4s lOd to 4s 9d. •' The general rate," he stated, "is being put up Id to meet special war expenditure as follows:—Grant to Patriotic Council, £1000; war allowance to employees, £1200; emergency fire precautions, £3843; emergency precautions (current expenses), £1000; Home Guard expenses, £IOO; —total, £7143. This sum represents more than Id in the £, and well Cr McMillan knows it. Don't be deceived by his cry of rates being bumped up. Thev are actually being bumped down." A vote of thanks and confidence was unanimously carried, and the meeting closed with the singing of the National Anthem.

(Extended Report by Arrangement.)