MR PATERSON’S CAMPAIGN

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 20097, 2 May 1935, Page 10

MR PATERSON’S CAMPAIGN

ADDRESS AT SOUTH SCHOOL When Mr A. M. Paterson addressed the electors at the South School last night there was only a small attendance. Mr F. E. Stewart was in the chair. Mr Paterson said he thought that the small attendance was probably due to a misunderstanding over the appearance of his advertisements. He explained his reasons for resigning from the Council, after he had been splendidly supported at the poll, but considered that in the circumstances any self-respecting man or woman would have done the same. To show that no harm was done to anyone by his resignation one need only glance at the retiring Mayor’s valedictory address to see what he and his Council had achieved after the speaker had left them. A clock tower, garden gates and two or three wooden structures were constructed and two croquet lawns were laid out. He thought the gathering would agree that these things would, or could, have come into being even if the Mayor and all the other Councillors had resigned along with him; for such simple and trifling things could have easily been attended to by the heads of departments, the town clerk’s staff and the borough foreman. He claimed that the Mayor’s account of his, stewardship revealed not the slightest evidence of a Mayoral policy in any or all of the things put together. Financial statements made formidable reading to the average citizen. Few understood or bothered trying to understand them, and mayors, knowing this, were well aware that by pretending that they had something to do with the drawing up of such statements they received some public kudos. He criticised the Mayor’s chairmanship of the Council and accused him of being onesided and dictatorial. In social functions, however, the manner in which the Mayor and Mayoress had conducted themselves could not be praised too highly. They both acquitted themselves admirably on every occasion. On the whole, however, the retiring Mayor had been too long accustomed to run in one groove. He was not alive to the needs of the times and was content to wait until someone else made a move. The occupant of the Mayoral chair should be one who at least was abreast of the times, and who knew that we were on the eve of great social changes, and was capable of anticipating the nature of those changes and adapting himself to them. Policy Outlined. Mr Paterson said that if elected he would endeavour to direct the routine business of the Council along sound and progressive lines and to do all that a good, live, fair-minded Mayor might be expected to do. He would oppose increasing the financial burdens of the ratepayers and try to end the parsimonious treatment now being meted' out to the unemployed. He would endeavour to place the unemployed on standard rates of wages, as he understood was being done in some parts of the Dominion, and he would welcome any national scheme of quickly ending the absurdity of allowing poverty and plenty to flourish side by side. He reviewed the many organisations that were attempting to formulate schemes to solve the unemployment or “underpayment” problem, which was the basic cause of 90 per cent, of our present troubles. His knowledge, gained after many years’ study of such problems, would be used in exploring every possible way of restoring to all the unemployed and their dependents the comfort and plenty which our country was actually capable of furnishing, while he would assiduously attend to the next most urgent matter—the health of the people, chiefly by ensuring a diseasefree milk supply. Twenty years ago when he took up the work of dairy inspection our milk supply was one of the worst as some of our dairy herds were affected with tuberculosis to the extent of over 75 per cent., and a considerable section of a particular street had on on side one or more cases of tuberculosis in almost every home. To-day he doubted whether we had one per cent, of tuberculosis in our dairy herds, and in the street referred to he did not think there was a single case of tuberculosis. Our milk supply now was among the very best both as regards freedom from disease producing organisms. Those transformations took place without the help or even the knowledge of the Borough Council. He would make it his business to see that it was maintained at its present high standard. Water Supply and Swamps. Referring to the water supply Mr Paterson said that this was not much different in quality from what it had always been, although as was the case with milk, councillors every now and then created a mild scare over it. For over 20 years he had been advocating the secure fencing of the water race and the installation of filter beds. There was still a number of undraincd swampy areas about the town which were a serious menace to health, continued Mr Paterson. He would endeavour to have them attended to. For many years he advocated the drainage of the Waimataitai swamp. Since it had been drained he was convinced that the district was much more salubrious and sightly than it used to be. As we were trying to make Timaru an attractive health resort those improve-

ments were imperative and should be put under way without delay. “Those are some of the things I would try to do if elected as Mayor,” said Mr Paterson, who appealed for support. It was necessary, he said, that electors who did not favdur the extension of the term of the retiring Mayor should concentrate on one of the opposing candidates—the one most likely to win. At last election he polled more votes than the retiring Mayor, and was therefore a probable winner, The other two opposition candidates were certain losers. Mr R. H. Hill said he took it from the candidate’s remarks that the retiring Mayor was responsible for the draining of Waimataitai Lagoon. Mr Paterson explained the interest he had taken in the area for many years and how he had advocated its drainage. He had suggested the matter to Cr. Hawkey when the drainage from Belfield Hill was being put through. Mr Satterthwaite might have been on the Council, but he was not Mayor when ;he work was carried out. There were no further questions, and on the motion of Messrs D. Fairbrother and Ennis, Mr Paterson was accorded a vot*( of thanks for his address.