NEW PLYMOUTH ELECTIONS

Taranaki Daily News, 3 May 1933, Page 7

NEW PLYMOUTH ELECTIONS

THE VIEWS OF LABOUR. CRITICISM OF OPPONENTS. Statements made by borough councillors at Monday night’s meeting were attacked by the Labour candidates contesting the municipal elections when they reiterated their policy before about 350 electors in the Workers’ Social Hall at New Plymouth last night, Mr. W. Falconer presided. Referring to the meeting addressed on Monday night by the Mayor (Mr. H. V. S. Griffiths), and Crs. P. E. Stainton and J. Brown, Mr. Thome first of all said that Cr. Stainton was wrong when he declared that the members of the Tramways’ Union were satisfied with the arrangement made by the council. Mr. Thome read a letter from the union on that point. Anyway, in the speaker’s opinion, it was unfair for a member of the administration to approach employees and ask them if they were satisfied—it took a bold man to say he was not satisfied under such conditions.

“CHANGED THEIR MINDS.” g i “Cr. Brown was asked about a cutting through a hill down towards Moturoa,” said Mr. Thome. “He said it was not because the road it was proposed to form would have been unable to cross the railway line that the work was stopped after the cutting had been made at a cost of £298 10s—it was 'stopped becau# the council changed its mind.” ®

Continuing, Mr. Thorne said the Mayor had shown where he stood when he admitted that he was prepared to enter a three-year contract with a high salaried man when he was not prepared to do anything for the employees on low wages.

' In reference to the profits of the electrict light department, Mr. Thorne claimed that any surplus should be devoted to reducing the costs to the consumer rather than in bolstering up the losses of the other departments. Such transfer of profits meant the electors" were being exploited. • , Rather than employing relief workers on the formation of a stock route, Mr. Thorne said it would have been more to the advantage of the town had they been engaged on forming a promenade along the town’s coastline and building ;a sea-wall to prevent erosion. In his opinion the stock route merely enhanced-the value of someone’s private property*. BALANCED BUDGET’S COST. I ‘ Mr. J. Jemison said the Mayor was proud of the fact that the borough’s budget had been balanced, but in doing so, Mr. Jemison claimed that the budgets of many a poor man seeking to make his home his own had been completely unbalanced. In reference to" the. salaries of all public servants, the speaker was convinced that the time was coming when every young man entering the civil service, whether Government or municipal, would do so with the knowledge that £5OO a year was the largest salary he could reach. It was time public servants put more into the work and took less out of it “If a young man did not like the idea, then he could go farming,” added Mr. Jgmison amidst laughter, “or golddigging or somewhere else where he might strike a fortune by chance.” Speakers at the meeting on Monday night had mentioned the magnitude of Borough Council undertakings, and had inferred that it would be folly 1 to put an inexperienced Labour council in control, said Mr. Jemison. It had to be remembered that the Mayor and other members of the old brigade had had to serve their .first terms at the council table. ' Mr. H. W. Lawrence, the *next speaker, outlined the progress of municipal affairs at Christchurch under a Labour City Council, and quoted figures to show that, for every £lO9O capital value, the rates in Christchurch were lower than any other New Zealand city. , MR. FLOOD ON THE HARBOUR. Mr. S. Flood enlarged on the theory that a rent-payer was of as much importance in the community as a ratepayer. Regarding the Harbour Board, Mr. Flood said there were hundreds of acres of harbour land that could be used for building sites locked up in the vicinity of the port Yet many of the men who worked down there had to travel to Fitzroy every day. The reason for that was probably the fact that some interested person owned land suitable for building purposes in some other part of the borough. Mr. Flood also referred to the question of amalgamation of Taranaki’s harbour boards. He believed that such a course would be beneficial to the whole province, but he thought the boards should be brought together to discuss ths whole question. It did not seem fair that one board should pirate produce from another’s territory and leave that board’s ratepayers to bear the whole of the liability likely to eventuate. Mr. A. W. Horne also spoke briefly. On the motion of Mr. R. Fulton, seconded by Mr. W. Newall, the speakers were thanked for the able manner ks which they had expounded the platform of Labour and wished then success at the jjell.,