LOWER HUTT'S MAYOR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 172, 10 April 1918, Page 6

LOWER HUTT'S MAYOR

THE COUNCIL'S HOSTILE VOTE COUNCILLOR WARD RESIGNS Mr. H. Baldwin, who resigned tho Mayoralty of Lower Hutt under altogether unexpected circumstnncos on Monday ovening, was waited upon yesterday afternoon by a Dominion representative and asked if ho could throw further ,light on the circumstances which bad terminated so dramatically at the council mooting. Mr. Baldwin said that he did not know whether there was much to say as far as he was concerned, as the whole thing had conic like a thunderbolt. It was the outcomo of his having signed a circular, through which tho friends of Mr. Eoche, the lato Borough .Engineer, intended to raise enough money to give that officer something in the nature of a testimonial. Mr. .Roche had left the employ of the borough in February last, and he (Mr. Baldwin) had been approached and asked whether tho borough intended to do anything for Mr. Roche by giving him a testimonial. He had replied in the negative. Then later a friend of the engineer's had submitted to him the draft of a circular which ho proposed to send out to certain people, and asked if he would sign it as Mayor. Hβ had read tho draft, and had struck out some phrases which he had considered too fulsome and flowery, and when a fresh draft of the altered circular was submitted to him he had signed it, einiply for the purpose of giving weight to the genuineness of the appeal more. Beyond having received a subscription of £1 Is. from a Wellington gentleman he had heard nothing further about the circular or the result which had been achieved until Saturday evening, when a friend had told him that there was likely to bo trouble at the council meeting over the circular. Ho said, in response, that he hardl/ saw how there could be trouble about it. The business of the meeting was got'through with good dispatch on Monday evening, when the matter of the circular was raised. He was surprised at the tone adopted, and the nature of the resolution came as a thunderbolt. It left him no option but to resign. Councillors Clendon and Hobbs (signatories to the circular) declined to vote, and .Councillor Walton was away. Councillor H. A. AVard was against the resolution. Had Mr. Walton been present and all had voted it would have been five all, but he would never have thought of saving his skin by a casting vote. Mr. Baldwin stated that the work of the council had proceeded smoothly during the past year. As a matter of fact the balance-sheet for the year had been placed in his hands as early as Saturday last. As two of the days since the end of the financial year had been holidays, there had only been three days' to strike the balance and draft the balance-sheet.- That, he thought, was a record. At the -conclusion of the meeting he had congratulated the Town Clerk (Mr. Nicholson) and the staff on the excellent work which had been done, and the council on the fact that the statement of finances showed that the expenditure was £250 below the estimates. Councillor H. A. Ward tenderpo , his resignation as a member of thp Lower Hutt Borough Council yesterday. It is understood that other resignations are pending. When asked yesterday if he would consider withdrawing his resignation, Mr. Baldwin said he could only think of doing so subject to the resolution being expunged from the records of the Borough Council.