THE WAIKATO INDEPENDENT WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 1944. THE RECENT ELECTIONS.

Waikato Independent, Volume XLIII, Issue 3999, 7 June 1944, Page 2

THE WAIKATO INDEPENDENT WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 1944. THE RECENT ELECTIONS.

As we mentioned prior to the recent Local Body Elections there was much more interest in Cambridge than was the case three years ago. With two new candidates in the field for the Mayoralty it was a close contest in favour of a sitting Councillor, Mr W. Moore. Forty-nine votes would have changed the issue in favour of Mr Wilkinson, also a member of the previous Council. The chief interest of the elections was in the election of eight Councillors and with 17 candidates on the ballot paper, it was most marked that the majority of the people supported present or previous members of the Council, or long-experi-enced businessmen. It would seem, too, that popularity counted quite a lot. It was noticeable, too, that younger men, or candidates with Labour leanings, were not nearly so well supported. However, the people have made their choice and those eight elected will have the responsibility, along with the Mayor, of guiding the affairs of the Borough during the remainder of the war, and we believe, through portion of the postwar period. It is no light responsibility, and perhaps, it is because of this particular responsibility, that the people preferred experienced local body men. But along with a policy of prudence will have to be associated a wide-awake attitude. It will be the responsibility of the present Council to see that with the changing conditions of the day that the Borough does not just stand still. The members of the Council will have to see that Cambridge is associated with any progressive movements and that rehabilitation subsidies are taken advantage of. They must see that Cambridge gets its share in further allocations of State houses, for the accommodation problem is just as difficult here as anywhere. It will be the responsibility of the present Council to make use, as far as possible, of the cheaper money that is. offering today. This is a matter that should immediately engage the attention of the Council. Then ,of course, there is the general maintenance of the borough. During the war period the Council has, like everybody else, been short of labour, but when labour becomes more plentiful for local body wojrk, then the general maintenance should have close attention. And while on this subject and the general appearance of the Borough we must point out that wise visitors are not unduly impressed by a front entrance. The back entrances are just as important and here in Cambridge we certainly think there could be a considerable improvement. MAIL TO PUKERORO. There being no Chamber of Commerce or Businessmen’s Association in Cambridge the responsibility entirely falls upon the Borough Council of keeping an eye on the various local matters that are beneficial or detrimental to the people of the borough and of course, the district. The welfare of the town and borough depends very largely upon that of the district. One matter that the new Council could very well look into is the extremely inconvenient mail service to residents along the Hamilton Road 1o Pukeroro and beyond to the Hamilton boundary. Mail posted in Cambridge for Pukeroro to-day does not arrive there until to-morro \v afternoon—and Pukeroro is only a few miles from Cambridge Post Office. Mail from Hamilton is, naturally, delivered daily—the Hamilton people see to that. The position actually is that the mail service from Hamilton delivers the mail daily from Hamilton to Cambridge. On arrival here a mail-bag with mail for Hamilton and South is picked up, but no delivery of Cambi idge mail for along the Hamilton Road is made, with the result, as aforementioned that it takes the greater part of two days for mail to go not much further than one could conveniently walk in an afternoon. This is only one of the few things, that Cambridge needs to awaken/ itself about.