THE MAYORALTY.

Cromwell Argus, Volume III, Issue 140, 16 July 1872, Page 6

THE MAYORALTY.

MR FEAER’S MEETING AT THE TOWN HALL. On Thursday evening last, Mr M. Fraer, one of the candidates for the Mayoralty of Cromwell, addressed a numerously-attended meeting •of ratepayers at the Town Hall. Mr J. S. Burkes, who was voted to the chair, stated the purpose of the meeting, and bespoke for the candidate a fair and impartial hearing. Mr Fraer said that in appearing before the ratepayers as a candidate for the office of Mayor, he might state that his principal inducement to I •come forward was the fact of being presented with a numerously and influentially signed requisition. He had been assured that those who signed it had done so on purely public grounds, and not as a matter of personal favour ; and he believed they would all vote for him. But if, after hearing him on the present occasion, there were any of the requisitionists who disapproved of his views on municipal questions, he was willing to release them from all obligation to vote for him. He had served a fair apprenticeship as Councillor, and by giving some account of his stewardship in that capacity for the past year, he trusted to be able to shew that he was in some degree fitted to occupy the honourable and important position to which he now aspired. Since last annual election, the Council had held twenty-four general and special meetings, of which he had attended twenty-two. Being a member of the Finance Committee, as well as Treasurer to the Corporation, he would lay before the meeting the following statement of revenue and expenditure for the current year: Corporation of Cromwell. fieceiplti. £ s. d. To Balance in Bank on June 30, 1871 45 10 () Cash from Mr Jenour 23 D 0 License fee from Mr Pierce ... 22 0 Rates and Rent 358 0 li Government Subsidy on Rates collected for previous year .. LSD 18 0; Total £(318 ID 0 1 Expenditure. £ s. d. By Mr Fenwick’s salary, &c. ... 52 13 0 Messrs Buries and Taylor—assessors ... 0 (1 0 Mrs Broughton’s water rates rtnd 1 (1 0 Hayes & Connellan—rent of water 51 13 0 Mr Hastings—kerbing and channelling Melmore-terrace ... (54 D 5 Mr Hurley—gravelling footpaths 12 0 01 Petty Cash Expenses 10 0 0 Mr Brough—solicitor’s fees ... 7 7 0, Printing and advertising ... 23 D Oi Stationery and Sundries ~ ... 14 0 (i 1 J. Kelly—streets ami race . . 13 4 0! J. Wright—do. do 10 3 0 Inspector of Nuisances ... .. 0 0 0 J. Taylor—timber, &c., to race... 34 ID 2 I Mr Smythies—levels of race ... 2 12 (ri Mr Wilson—surveyor’s fees ... 8 1 Oj S. Bodasio —labour at race ... 1(5 2 0 j Preshaw and Wright—auditors 12 1(5 0 Burros & MacKellar— assessors 6 0 0 Mr Smythies’ salary, Ac. ... 40 10 0 Mr Williams —part payment of race 00 0 0 Mr Taylor— Mayoral Conference 10 0 0 Repairs to Culvert 2 5 0 Streets and race... 3 12 0 Arbitrator’s Fee 3 3 0 Balance in hand ... 134 1 5 Total AulS ID 0 From that statement he thought it would be -seen that the Council had endeavoured to expend the funds judiciously. At the first meeting of the present Council, held on B':h August, i he had proposed an 1 c .fried a motion urging the Government to proceed with the erection of the Court-house ; and he was now happy to say that ; the building was near completion. At the same j meeting he carried a motion asking the Govern- i ° j ment to give effect to the recommendation of the Gold-fields Commission in reference to the appointment of a Resident Magistrate and Warden for Cromwell district. He had also moved in the matter of the proposed track to Quartz Reef Point; and had taken the initiative in urging the postal authorities to make Cromwell | the second day’s terminus of the Dunedin mail- j coaches. Although the attempt to carry out \ the last-mentioned proposal had been unsuccessful in consequence of the contractor demandin''! £(300 per annum extra for the performance of j the service, he (Mr Fraer) entertained strong; hopes of gaining the desired object during the | coming year, more especially as the residents of, Naseby and Queenstown were as much into-1 rested as those of Cromwell. On the 4th Sep-' tember, when the question (of water-supply came i before the Council, the Public Works Committee were instructed to report as to the best available ! scheme. He had been under the impression ! that the best supply could be obtained from the I cast side of the Clutha ; but on making on- ■ quirics, he found that sufficient water could not 1 he had without purchasing the race held by Messrs Barker and Strahan, and that the adop-! tion of the scheme would involve an expenditure I of £ISOO. He believed, however, that the proposal to obtain the town water-supply from that source might be advantageously adopted at some future time. In his place in the Council he had carried amotion requesting the Government to 1 repair the Nevis road ; and the work had been performed. The Council, at his suggestion, had : also recommended the advisability of securin'' i more frequent postal communication with Ban- ' nockburn and Nevis. That desideratum had | not yet been'obtained, but be believed that next I year the Chief Postmaster purposed calling for tenders for a weekly mail between Cromwell and

the Nevis. On the 4th October, the Public Works Committee brought up a report on the subject of water-supply ; and in accordance with that report—which was adopted by the Council tenders were invited for the sale of a waterright. Ultimately, Mr W. Williams’ offer to dispose of a half sluice-head for £l2O, payable at intervals of three months, was accepted. These were the principal matters which had occupied the attention of the Council since August 1871. He did not wish the ratepayers to think he had proposed everything that had been done by the Council: he had simply given them an account of his own actions as their representative.—He would now proceed to give a statement of his views as a candidate for the Mayoralty. The first and most important question to be dealt with was that of water-supply. [Mr Fraer here read a copy of specifications of a reservoir proposed to be built on the terrace at the head of Mel more-street. The reservoir is to he 30ft. diameter in the clear, and Gft. deep ; to be built round with dry stone walls 2ft. thick, with Ift. of clay puddle and Sin. of stone pitching in the bottom ; ISin. of clay to be puddled in between earth and stonework ; and the structure to be covered in with two-inch planking.] The Council had ordered water-pipes Loin England, where they could be procured for 50 per cent, less than elsewhere. He would, as Mayor, in the interim have the pi esent supply made as useful as possible, and would always do bis best to remedy stoppages,—which had been so frequent lately. He would urgeon the Government the desirability of constructing that portion of the main road (forming the continuation of the main street) running through the lately surveyed portion of the town towards the Gorge. He would much like to see a row of trees planted along Melmore-terrace from the Post-office to the terrace behind Mr Hayes’ house : besides being ornamental, they would serve as a protection from wind and dust. He would support a scheme for mitigating the annoyance caused by the dust rising from the sandy flat behind the Catholic Chapel. In order to meet the requirements of those residing on the upper terrace, he would be in favour of opening up another approach to that part of the town by forming Sligo-strcet. It was very desirable that the reserve on the south side of Mclinore-tcrrace should be vested in the Corporation, for if that were done there wotdd be an additional source of revenue, which wouhl amount to between £'so and £IOO per annum. Ho was glad to state that there was now a fair prospect of getting the reserve handed over to the Municipality at no distant date. He would support the creation of another Municipal ward at the west end of the township. The district, ho considered, had assumed such a degree of importance as to be entitled to a reesidcut warden. Butter police quarters wore urgently needed, and the Council had communicated with the Government on the subject. A horsetrack from Cromwell to Cardrona, over Mount Pisa, would, lie believed, prove advantageous to both places. He would urge the Government to proceed with the construction of the track to Quartz Reef Point; and would also impress upon them the necessity of carrying out their promise to provide adequate commonage. Being of opinion that the people of Cromwell were entitled to better and speedier mail communication with the Metropdis, he would use his best eTorts to secure that desideratum, and would likewise endeavour to have a mail service established between Cromwell and thoCarriok Reefs. In conclusion, he expressed the belief that a tide had set in in the all airs of Cromwell which, if taken at the flood, would load on to a superlative degree of prosperity, and would make Cromwell the most flourishing town of the Northern Gold-fields. He behoved himself to be possessed of sufficient energy, push, and perseverance to enable him to ful.il the dudes of Mayor with benefit to the town and honour to himself. (Cheers.) A number of questions put to the candidate were answered by him to the apparent satisfaction of the meeting. Mr AV. Chant, on rising, said ho must request that any gentleman having whips or sticks concealed about bis person be immediately disarmed. (Laughter and cheers.) He then proposed a vote of confidence in Mr Fraer as a candidate for the olllco of Mayor. This was seconded by Mr T. Maltin', and carried by a large majority. Mr Fraer briefly acknowledged the expression of confidence, and hoped the ballot-box would tell the same tale. Ho had great pleasure in proposing a vote of thanks to the Chairman for presiding. Tins was carried by acclamation, and the meeting then dispersed.