THE MAYORAL ELECTION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 801, 26 April 1910, Page 4

THE MAYORAL ELECTION.

There is some reason to fear that the contest for the City Mayoralty is hot exciting the interest which the importance of the occasion warrants. The two candidates for the office cannot be blamed for this. They have each conducted a vigorous campaign into which we regret to note the personal olenient has crept at times,, to

an undesirable extent. Charges of misrepresentation have been freely exchanged and the real issues have at times been obscured. At the same time we feel confident that citizens generally have been able to gain a very fair idea of the relative merits of the programmes of the two candidates, and, as for their ■ personal qualifications for the position of First Citizen, they also should be fairly well known./ Two very unjust and reprehensible attacks have been made upon. Mr. Crawford. | The first was the suggestion that bis advocacy of certain street improvements was due to his desire to make profit out of a quarry owned by him. The injustice of this attack arose, out of the fact that when Mayor' of Miramar Mr. Crawford had not only taken steps to deprive himself of a continuance of any profit which had previously fallen 'to him from the sale of stone to the borough but that, after attaining tho Mayoral office, he had supplied metal from his quarry free of all cost. Moreover, on contesting the City Mayoralty Mr. Crawford'took steps tostop the sale of any metal from his quarry to the eity—a step which; necessarily meant pecuniary loss to him. Tho second attack on Mn. Crawford was in regard to'the success'.which ho has.met with in his private Replying to an attempt to injure'his candidature by reference to this he admitted that he had made some nioney, but not nearly so much as reported!- This has been referred to as a distasteful reference to moneymaking and the introduction by Mr. Crawford of "the factor of the largo pocket." We .- do . not think - that such attacks as.these by those antagonistic -to .Mr. Crawford's candidature will do him any harm.•Rather. the. reverse. When citizens come to review the past achievements and present position of the two candidates they should have little difficulty in making' a choice. Mr. Crawford has 20 years' service on municipal bodies to his credit—Mr. Wilford has never served on a municipal body_. Mr. Crawford has just relinquished the Mayoralty of Miramari after three years of office, during which the borough has made great strides; Mr. Wilford has just retired from the Chairmanship of the Harbour Board after two years' service as chairman-and eight as a membor of the Board, and the public know tho position in which tho Harbour Board is torday. Mr. Crawford is a far-seeing man of business, specially acquainted with municipal undertakings; Mr. >:Wilford is a lawyer and. politician. Me. Crawford has practically no business ties or public offices to divert his attention from the affairs of the municipality;, Mr. is a busy lawyer and a'.member' of Parliament; -Mr.. Wilford is a more experienced election campaigner than. Mr. Crawford and presides over meetings with success, but his advantages, if they can.be so called, end there. .From. prac : tically every point,of view Mr. Crawford is in a position to render better service to'the city than his: Opponent. ; Those citizens who realise the danger attendant on any relapse from the present state of efficiency in our. municipal administration'will make it their business to record their . votes in his favour at to-morrow's poll. The position of Ihe Harbour Board to-day should be warning enough not only -to -ratepayers; but also.to all:housdholders, of the necesfor ..sound and. careful guidance; in our municipal undertakings.