THE MAYORAL CONTEST.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 783, 5 April 1910, Page 4

THE MAYORAL CONTEST.

The first public meeting in the Mayoral election campaign, addressed last evening by Mr. C. J. Crawford, was rcmarkablo in several respects. Mn. Crawford took higher ground than we have been accustomed to on these occasions. There were no attempts to tickle the ears of tho groundlings; no dragging in of vote-catching, parishpump questions; but the affairs of tho city wore treated from a broad standpoint; the larger issues of general concern were touched on lucidly and with tho euro grasp of tho man who has made a study of municipal affairs and has confidence in his own judgment. While tho number of subjects dealt with .precluded the possibility of any attempt at analytiail detail, Mb. Crawford left no i room for doubt aB to hie gonoral at-.

titude towards each; and he made it perfectly clear also that he has ideas of his own on certain questions which break entirely new ground. His scheme for providing recreation grounds, wxich will safeguard the interests of future generations as well as those of the people of to-day, is one which affords evidence not only of Mit. Crawford's abounding confidence in the future of this city, but of his foresight in recognising conditions which if not grappled with are certain to occasion future embarrassment to our municipal rulers, and give proof of his business acumen in devising a simple means of overcoming the difficulties ahead. At one of his future meetings Mr. Crawford would do well to explain this scheme in detail. It is a very unusual thing for a Mayoral candidate to trouble himself with Harbour Board affairs, but Mr. Crawford apparently does not hesitate to carvo out a new way for hiniself where tho goal to b'e reached warrants it. And there are very few citizens indeed who will not welcome his references to the harbour and its management. Tho fortunes of tho city are'inseparably associated with those of its port, and in view of the position into which the Harbour Board's affairs have drifted, it is well that the public should bear in mind that the Mayor of tho city, by virtue of his oflice, has a seat on the Harbour Board. A sound, level-headed business man of Mr. Crawford's stamp would be a welcome addition to the Board just now. The impression created by Mr. Crawford's address last evening was a very favourable one; and the larger audience which will read the report of itin the papers to-day will, we have no doubt, find in it much to commend this candidate to their favourable attention. One very excellent point was made by Mr. C. B. Morison, who filled the position of chairman at last night's meeting. Our evening contemporary, for some reason not easy to discover! in its issue of last evening professed to believe that the present contest was to be fought on political lines. While entirely discrediting this assertion, Mr. Morison seized the opportunity to point out the desirableness of separating the office of Chief Magistrate of the city from any form of political turmoil. No man holding a position in Parliament, whether Opposition or Government, he contended, should be permitted to hold the office of Mayor of the City, of Wellington. This rather sweeping opinion was defended on the ground that tho office of Mayor could not be filled.with justice to the city by any man not in a position to give up practically the whole of his time to the duties of the office. That the duties of Mayor of a large city like Wellington were of such importance, and their proper carrying out of so much concern, to the whole community that they could not be treated as a mere side line, requiring only the casual, attention of a man fully occupied with other ties. This is very true. Wo fear that the public do not thoroughly realise how truehow tho growth of the city has added to the duties which.fall on the shoulders of its Mayor, and how necessary it is that the gentleman holding that office should have complete free'dom from other ties in order that tho city'b affairs shall not be neglected. That- Mr. Crawford, if elected, is in a position to devote the whole of his time to the duties of the-Mayoralty is another vory strong point in his favour, while Mr. Wilford is correspondingly handicapped by the fact that, in addition to oeing a buey lawyer with a large Court practice,-he is a member of Parliament and . Chairman of Committees of thoEouso of Representatives. Indeed, if Mr. Wilford attends closely, to his duties as unairman of Committees it is difficult to understand how he can hope to devote any time worth mentioning. to Mayoral affairs during the greater part of the session.