Borough By-Election

Te Aroha News, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5965, 18 August 1920, Page 2

Borough By-Election

Mr Coulter's Public Address

A FEARLESS CRITICISM

About two hundred rhetors att 'uded the public meeting convet e'• by Mr R Coulter ou Monday evening j in the Palace Theatre incmuection with his candidature for the Borough I Couucil by-election. Mr H. W. Gifford presided, and bespoke for the candidate a fair and attentive hearing, saying that he was a young gentleman well-known to practically evoryboly in the town as a straight-for-ward honest rnau imbued with a d-'siro to assist his fellow townspeople. Mr Gifford said the candidate and himself had been associated on the local Repatriation Committee as secretary and chairman respectively, and thus he had countless opportunities to observe Mr Coulter’s worth. The more'be saw of him the greater j the respect he had for him. Mr Coulter had done magnificent work, all for the munificent salary of “ ten bob ” a week (lately raised to £1) paid by the Government. The Repatriation Committee bad received j aud distributed between £15,000 arid £20,000, and his own estimate for the present year was £25,000. There are plenty of business men in Te Aroha who have received far more from the Committee than the worthy secretary. Mr Coulter was greeted with waun applause as he rose to address the meeting. A t the outset he said he intended to trource tho organisation opposing bis candidature, but he wanted to clearly state that he did uot include Mr James in his castigation. That gentleman was a muchrespected ma”, and no one could say a word against him The unfortunate part of it was th it he had the brand of the organisation placed upon him, whether bo appreciated it or not. Mr Coulter then went on to quote and dilate up m BomePof the calumnies of tbff opposition. Ho said he had never been a memb p r of a labor union in his life, bat he always did what he could to help the men who most needed assistance —not the big men. The big man hid obviously no need of his help—they had helped th. mselves.

He believed that evolution would bring about the required state of affairs, not revolution, and denied ever having, by word or deed, favored revolution. Regarding repatriation, he said he had beeu chosen by a public meeting as a member of tbe local c immittee, and had teen persuaded to act as secretary—not knowing then the great tic it would prove. Bnt he wasn’t a quitter, and had carried on, in spite of insidious atcempts to set people against him Ho reminded his auditors that tbe Committee had no say in placing men on the laud or in homes yet prominent men, who did know better, persisted in asserting that he was “ making a good thing oat of it.” At this stage, Mr Con 1 ter apologised for the absence from the meeting »f Mr James, who had told him be had a prior engagement that evening. He next amused tbe meeting by an account of some'of the happenings at the deputation to Mr James when that gentleman was induced to accept nomination. The crowd roared in appreciation. Then he referred to the Te Aroba “ Waxworks,’’ saying 1 some of the figures jumped when the man behind the scenes pulled the strings, and some didn’t,. He positively assorted that the present ocoupaut of the mayoral chair was only mayor in name. Then he humorously referred to the mayoral chair recently presented to the town, Incidents daring the influenza epidemic were detailed in humorous vein, ahd the candidate made a point of comparing theaotions of Mr T. Stanley with Home other prominent townsmen at that period. Mr Coulter said that as a result of his experiences and observations then he had only the greatest respect and admiration for Mr Stanley. He (the speaker) had for a long time “ put up with ” the insinuations of hi§ detractors, but he had chosen now to hit out straight irom the shoulder and let the people know the true position. Mr Coulter went on to refer to the period during which Mr R. L. Somers was mayor of the town, and the “ notable achievements ” of his regime, mentioning the purchase of the costly Deisel engine for the power house; the expenditure of £SOOO on improviug the main street; the transfer of part; of a borough street to the Government for a post' office site, right opposite the Hot Springs Hotel. The candidate had a “ tilt ’’ at some of the lesser lights of the opposition, dealing with them in un. measured terms. He denied that he bad beea responsible for certain letters in the News during the Electric Power Board election campaign, a'ld challenged a certain gentleman to put up £IOO to prove to tbe contrary. It had been said that he was not a stako-holder in the town. He was certainly not a “ carpot-bagger," but he didn’t choose to. spend his money the way some people would like him to do; perhaps that in part accounted for the hostility to him. He pointed out that when we go before our Maker we will not bo judged according to one worldly possessions, bat according to pnblio - service rendered. Personally, he had no axe to grind, and was thns tally qualified to assist in promoting local legislation for the good of the whole community. He could, he declared, have easily become a voter with a ratepayers’ qualification, by adopting the methods of at least one councillor.- Owners of property 'in the borough were generally credited with providing the money for administration ; they certainly paid direot taxation, but all the other residents paid indirectly. He had had his eye on a certain business site, but one man had been “ squatting ” on it for yeats, and despite protestations to the contrary, the present bo'ough council was supporting that man's action—or inaction—thus holdiog the town back. The present council had not done much during its fifteen months' term, except spend £2OOO or £3OOO over and above revenue

Mr Coulter, continuing, referred to the policy he had enunciated when he first came before the electors four or five years ag >. He had advocated the construction of a new traffic bridge, and before going out of office last time he and his co-councillors had accepted an offer of a loan from the Public Trustee'for the work. He had thought tho new council would soou have the bridge erected; but they had done practically nothing except ag»’ee to pay interest on the money they had not used. He had been a strong advocate of the need for workers' dwellings in the town, and the council of which he was a member had had a suitable plot of

land set aside especially for the purpose ; but nothing had been done since. The present conucil was uot all to blame. Tho chief fault lies with 'he Mayor for not battling more vigorously, He should have give a strong le£d to the council. Thy old conucil had ariaogcd for a motor-reel for fire-fighting pu-p sjs, bafson e of the new councillors had tho first, joy. ride on it! He had always battled for a Greater Te Ar.fiia, and .it became an accomplished fact durintjjjis term as a councillor. He had* been told that in this election bis strongest opposition would be from the new i area. Ho did not believe it, for be had always advocated th ir claims. He wanted to see the old - traffic bridge re-erected lower downstream to connect Heniesville with ltnakaka He was reliably informed it wonld not be costly. Such n connection would permit of a round- trip motoibus service being mu, serving the outskirts admirably. He w-is a keen and loyal member of the chamber of commecco, and had stack fo it

—a contrast to some business men. The chamber waß there to watch the interests of the business commuuity, some of whom were too indifferent to take auy i<t lvst in it thems fives. There was a time when the Band was insolvent, and ho had been persuaded to accept thesecrelaryshipr in an effort to put it ou a better footing. The bandsmjn had all cooperated in the effort, and he was glad to say the Band was “going btrong." He had recently been elected president of that institution. I’bat was an indication 01 the bandsmen’s appreciation of him. He had always taken a practical interest iu sports administration, and now was president of the Northern Athletic Obion, which body controlled all cash athletics in the Auckland province, in the interests of clean sport Yet his detractors said he was not a spot t! His policy for the future, if ele rlefi, would be progressive, as iu the past. The most urgent undertaking was

the erection of the traffic bridge. A close second in importance was the erection of workers’dwellings. They wonld not cost the Council or the • ratepayers anything. There were difficulties, _ bat they were uot insuperable. "Private individuals could get buildings erected—und so could the borough council. The borough’s administration and finances were in a sorry Btate at preseut. He was prepared to work-hard to assist in retrieving the position. The tmn needs a capable and fearless oritic—a “ live, wire.” The candidate went on to refer to the personnel of Council committees. . The Works Committee was composed of a butcher, a tailor, a retired latmer and even a land agent ; but the real practical man on the council had been carefully left off it. If elected, he would seek to have that man included on the Works Committee. _ At this stage questions were invited, but none were forthcoming, so Mr Coulter remarked that the ileotors evidently considered he bad covered most of the gi ound. He was sorry hiß chief opj on nits were not prepared to aßk questions for he was pro. pared for them. He reminded the electors that the contest was not James v. Coulter, but Cou ter versus the coterie’'that sought to direct the affairs of the town without accepting the responsibility. Were the public prepared to let that coterie run tho town or were they prepared to elect men who will eondnot the town’s Bffaiiß without interfereoc ? If defeated, he could assure the electors that he would “ bob up again ’’ at tire next opportunity, for he sincerely believed he could help iu improving the town. Personally, he w s not concerned. If they wan tel him he asked them to work hard to achieve their desire, concluding with the observation that “ if I am returned at the head of the poll Old Waxworks won’t like it 1” Mr T. Stanley said he had mnch pleasure in proposing a vote of thauks to the candidate, who was eminently fitted to take office. He had been

associated with Mr Coulter in the past, opposing him strongly up to the time oE the influenza epidemic. Bat what happened then had eonvinced him of Mr Coulter’s sterling worth. Mr Ritchie, a returned soldier, seoonded, and declared that the candidate was a man really worth while. He had done more than any other man iu the town for the returned men, not only on the Repatriation Committee, but also in a quiet way. The speaker could vouch for that. The vote was carried amid acclamation. Mr Coulter, iu returning thanks, invited his supporters to leave no stone unturned in their efforts to secure his election, for there was a powerful and clever org.mention •against them. The usual complimeut to the chair terminated the meeting.