DINNER TO THE MAYOR.

Evening Star, Issue 2959, 13 August 1872, Page 2

DINNER TO THE MAYOR.

About fifty gentlemen sat down to supper at Murray’s hotel last evening, to celebrate the return for the third time of Mr H. S. Fish, junr., as Mayor of Dunedin. Mr J. Black (of Black and Thomson) occupied the chair, and was supported on his right by the guest of the evening, and on his left by Mr Walter. Mr J. Barnes acted as croupier. The excellent spread provided by Mr Murray having been done ample justice to, the business of the evening was commenced. The usual loyal toasts having been proposed and duly honored, The Chairman proposed the toast of the evening, “ The health of his Worship the Mayor.” He congratulated those around him on having given practical effect to their convictions as good, citizens, and returning the right man in the right place. Mr Rossbotham, he said, labored under the disadvantage of being almost anew man, and he must wait until he gave more faithful services efficiently rendered, until he could come before the electors with a greater chance of success. There was one thing he (the Chairman) wished very much, and that was that any ill-feelings that might have been caused by the election, would cease with it. He thought he could answer for the Mayor and for the company present —he certainly could do so for himself_that they had done their best for the fortunes of war; and now that the battle was over there was not the slightest ill-feel-ing towards Mr Rossbotham. In proposing his Worship’s health, be might be allowed to express the hope that he would continue in the future to discharge the duties pertaining to the office of chief of the civic body as efficiently as he had done in the past; and that he might as effectively perform the duties of Provincial Councillor, if returned to that body—a consummation devoutly to be wished.—(Applause.). Mr Fish, in replying to the toast, said : Mr Chairman and gentlemen, I do not exactly know what to say upon this occasion ; but if I thank the company heartily and sincerely for the honor done me, I think I have said almost all I can say under the circumstances. It is very gratifying to me as a public man—and particularly so just now—to see so many friends gathered around upon an occasion Kite this to express their gratification at the effect of my being returned for the third time as Mayor of Dunedin. I find that the fact of my being so returned has been to excite feelings of great bitterness in the minds of a great many in the City. But I can heartily re-echo the wish expressed by the Chairman that now that the battle has been fought, lost, and won, that all such feelings, wherever they might have occurred, will now and at once cease, and for ever.—(Hear.) In standing for the office of Mayor upon the preseut occasion, I was induced to do so from the fact that none from among the Council would come forward, who, so far as my humble judgment would allow me to form an opinion, would have met with favorable acceptance by the citizens. Although I have always said, and repeat it now for the fifth or sixth time, that the office of Mayor should be a rolling one, si ill I say, without the slightest feeling of vanity or egotism, that the office should never roll from one man who has filled it to the satisfaction of the citizens, to another man with whom they will not be satisfied. I have now fought three elections in Dunedin for the office of Mayor; but I am free to confess that I have not fought one in which so much bitterness of feeling was evoked —so much blackguardism was indulged in—as upon the present occasion. For myself I cannot sec how in fighting a contest, no matter for what office, it becomes necessary to descend to scurrilous and grossly personal abuse of one’s opponent. 1 have never done it in my contests ; and 1 am sorry to say, if my opponent has not done so, that those gentlemen who thought fit to support him made free and fertile use of it upon this occasion. bTo doubt most of you, gentlemen, have seen the advertisements which have appeared in the Daily Times from time to time lately. Up to the preseut 1 have not noticed them, and have only done so now to express the hope that in the future neither side will use such gross personalities and gross abuse as have been called forth against me upon a recent occasion. It may be said that on an occasion like this 1 might afford to pass over what has occurred, especially after having gained my victory by such a large number of votes. But there is one feature about this contest, which I would refer to, and the effect is that

when anyone aspires to the office of Mayor, he has to appeal to the public for their verdict, and some councillor is got to oppose to him. So far as I have seen the result hay been that the bitterness that was evoked during the contest was carried into the Council Chambers. Twelve months ago I fought the battle in a spirit of fairness, and it was conducted with the utmost fairness by ray opponent. That gentleman during his electioneering canvass stated, in answer to a question, that he considered the Mayor’s salary should not be less than L4OO. He was convinced that the work done in the Council up to that time, and particularly the work to bedoue in the future, required that the salary to be paid ought not to be less than what it had previously been Well, the battle was fought and lost by him, and he was again returned to his seat in the Council. But then, strange to say, his opinions underwent a sudden change. When standing for Mayor he thought L4OO a year only enough i for the office; as councillor, he supported a reduction to L 250. On the present occasion my opponent, in answer to a question, expressed a similar opinion. He was defeated and took his seat as a matter of course at the Council Board. Previous to the first meetin r of the Council at which the Mayor’s salary is voted, this gentleman, although during his canvass he stated he thought 1.400 a year little enough for the office, tabled a motion that the salary this year should be nothing ! In addition to tabling this motion, he made a statement to this effect on handing in his notice of motion at the office:—“l would not propose such a motion if any other gentleman than Fish occupied the office.” I only mention this to show that there is some objection to the Mayor having to appeal to the citize. s for the office which I now hold, because it brings him into abuse and personalities of all sorts. 111-feeling and spleen are evoked , which do not cease with the contest, but are carried into the Council, and the effect of this personal hostility to the Mayor is, I am afraid, detrimental to the public business, and consequently to the public weal. I should tell you that previous to the last meeting of the Council, when the salary was fixed, the Town Clerk received the following telegram : —“ Town Clerk, Dunedin. Two hundred per annum. W. Hester.” This telegram is dated from Wellington, The Town Clerk, in the course of his duty, showed it to me, and I enquired what it referred to, but Mr Mas-ey said he did not send any telegram requiring a reply from Wellington I could not find out anything about this telegram ; so I was forced to lot the matter stand where it is. I subsequently received the following telegram from the Mayor of Auckland, who is at present in Auckland endeavoring to get passed a Waterworks Bill for his City : “Wellington, August 12. I did not see telegram to Town Clerk until moment of leaving for here about salary, or would have explained why Auckland at moment so small. Four hundred is little enough for your duties. P. A. Philips, Mayor of Auckland.” When I got this telegram I was struck with amazement. I could not make it out ; because neither 1 nor the Town Clerk had telegraphed to the Town Clerk at Auckland. Therefore I deemed it necessary to telegraph to the Mayor of Auckland, requesting further information, I sent him this telegram : “ P. A. Philips, Wellington. Please inform me to whose communication you have replied to me by telegram this morning, as ucither the Ma>or nor Town Clerk of Dunedin have as yet communicated with you, relative to the Mayor of Dunedin’s salary. H. S, jun.” To that I received a reply just before coming to this meeting “ 1 saw telegram Iday 1 left, professing to be from Town Clerk, asking, ‘ What salary do you cive your ' ■ ayor’? That is which [thought right reply to. P. A. Phillips.” Now, gentlemen, you know that I have [passed through some little abuse lately ; and you know that some of the Councillors have thought fit to exercise their judgment in reference to the Mayor’s salary this year in a way which, no doubt, has pleased them, though I am proud to say their action docs not hurt myself. But when these little documents, which 1 have read, come to be enquired upon, I think it will be shown that some other parties are quite as able to do something which is not quite correct as they are to charge me with doing the same. I purpose bringing these telegrams under the notice of the City Council at its next meeting. I shall obtain an exact copy of the telegram sent to Auckland from which these other documents emanated, and then perhaps the citizens will see something at which the parties who were actuated in the matter will be surprised. So for aa I am individually concerned, I am perfectly content with the action taken by the Council; but I regret to be unable to say that the majority of the Council—the majority, mark you—was not actuated by any sincere desire for the benefit of the citizens, because I am persuaded that that majority was actuated by feelings of a personal nature towards myself. But, as I have before said, I aui quite content with the action they have taken ; and am content to leave those gentlemen to the opinion of the citizens. Indeed I would go further and say that I feel perfectly certain that three of those gentlemen have seen the Council Chamber in their capacity of Councillor for the last time.—(Applause). Whether that be so or not, gentlemen, I have again to repeat that I am perfectly content with the action taken. I did not aspire to the office for the sake of the L4OO, although I have no doubt some of my esteemed friends say that that was the only motive that prompted me to come forward. I aspired to the honor for the gratification of what I think was a honorable ambition of representing the citizens of Dunedin in the capacity of Mayor for the third time. If the citizens had voted myself no salary at all, 1 should have been equally content to have performed the duties as ably as I could, and that I have performed them passably well in the past is shown by the ratification of my acts by election for the third time. Gentlemen, without detaining you any longer, I thank you most heartily and sincerely for this, and many other expressions of your kindness and goodwill. 1 sincerely appreciate the honor of the position I occupy now, and I trust so long as I do occupy it never to do anything which will induce you to withdraw the confidence in me which you have for some time expressed. When the time arrives when I shall have to give up office though I look forward to being Mayor of Dunedin at some other time—when the period comes for me to temporarily relinquish the term of office, you will not find me shrinking into the nutshell of ray domestic hearth. I shall seek to represent you in the Council, and, if returned, shall there endeavor to bring to bear upon civil matters the experience I have gained as Mayor. I shall there be enabled to show i those who are so ready to decry me bow—-

those, whe so far as my lights allow me to see. have not done much themselves—and particularly those who are always imputing personal motives to me in all my acts—that I am not entirely so actuated, though they imagine I have been in times gone by. Any person who is at all energetic in in the performance of his public duties, determined to expose abuses and secure reforms must, if he acta honestly and intelligently, create a great number of personal enemies, '■'y successor, whoever he may be, will, if he determines to put down abuses and secure reforms, find himself placed in the same predicament I have often been in, of having my best intentions misinterpreted into something selfish and unworthy of me. Gentlemen, I have again to thank you moat heartily for the kind feeling towards myself, which is displayed by your attendance here this evening. —(Loud applause.) The Mayor proposed “ The City Council,” to which Mr Barnes replied. Mr B. Isaacs proposed “ Prosperity to Dunedin,” to which Mr Walter replied.