SYDENHAM MAYORALTY.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1799, 26 November 1879, Page 4

SYDENHAM MAYORALTY.

PUBLIC MEETING-. A meeting of the burgesses of Sydenham, convened by Mr J. T. Brown, one of the candidates for the mayoralty, took place yesterday evening in the Colombo road schoolroom. The room was very nearly filled, and the proceedings were of a very orderly character. . , , . Mr H. W. Packer was voted to the chair, and in a few eulogistic words addressed to Mr Brown, stated the object for which the meeting had been called. Mr Brown stated that when, in response to the requisition which had been presented to him, he had consented to offer himself as a candidate for the office of Mayor, he did not consider there would have been any necessity to call the burgesses together to assure them that be had the welfare of the borough at heart. Ha had, however, since found thathohad an opponent to contend against whose tactics were different to his ; who bad been scouring the district and mating such unwarrantable statements that in self defence he hsd decided to call the present meeting. In doing so he had stipulated with his committee that Or. Charters should bo invited to bo present, as in his absence he thought it would bo a very tame affair. He had not come, however, and he, Or. Brown, could not speak of a man behind his back the same as if ho wore present. [Hear, hear.] Amongst other grievous charges made against him by Cr. Charters was one that ho was growing old, but it was not the custom of Englishmen to despise a man for that, and he would put his age alongside of Or. Charters’ youthfulnees. [Laughter.] Ho would now refer to a manifesto that had been addressed to the burgesses of Sydenham by Or. Charters, which was a misrepresentation of facts from beginning to end. He would take the clauses and deal with them seriatim, and would afterwards be prepared to answer any questions that might be put to him. Cr. Brown then commented on the credit which Or. Charters took to himself with regard to the acquisition of the Borough’s reserve at Ohortsey, the 200 acres at Ohainey’s comer, and the five-acre reserve at Adding, ton for sanitary purposes. In all these matters he was not entitled to any more credit than any other member of the Council. He would draw attention to tho next clause in Or. Charters’ address, in which he claimed credit for establishing free postal delivery in the borough. Ho said : —“I used my boot efforts to assist Or. Whitalaw in carrying to success the free postal delivery throughout tho borough, initiated by him. While in Wellington last August I waited on tho Hon, J. T. Fisher with reference to the twopenny postage which was then charged for ordinary town letters to and from Sydenham, and pointed out to him the unfairness of this charge. On my return to Christchurch I received a telegram from that hon. gentleman, saying the postage charge to and from tho borough and Christchurch would for the future be one penny, and this information was made public by the Chief Postmaster for Christchurch on a resolution of mine moved in the Council.” The real facts wore these —on the Ist April, 1878, a letter carrier was appointed to the central part of Sydenham, and three post offices closed, viz., Waltham, Colombo street, and Newtown. Throughout tho whole of thia part of the borough only one penny was charged for all letters under half an ounce. On the Ist of January, 1879, a second letter carrier was appointed embracing the remaining portion of the borough, and Addington post office was closed. Since that date the •whole of the borough has had a penny rate of delivery to and fro from Christchurch, and it would thus be seen that Or. Charters’ statement was altogether false. With regard to the representation of the borough in Parliament, Cr. Charters had manifested as much interest as ho (Cr. Brown) had, but no more, and as regarded the establishment of a Magistrate’s Court in Sydenham the credit of first moving in that belonged to Or. Joyce. The same remarks equally applied to the erection of a foot bridge over the Railway at Madras street, and all tho other improvements for which Cr. Charters claimed the exclusive credit. Finally, with reference to punctual attendance at the Council’s meetings, which Cr. Charters made a point of in his address, ho (Or. Brown) would draw the attention ,of tho meeting to a record kept by • the Mayor of the number of attendances of tho Councillors during tho year. During the past year Cr. Charters had atlsnded twenty-three times out of twenty-nine meetings, and he (Or. Brown) twenty-five out of the same number, while Crs. Pavitt and White had been present at the Council twenty-seven and twenty-eight times respectively out of the twenty-nine Council meetings. There had been seventeen special meetings, at which Or. Charters had been present at tw. Ive, ho (Or. Brown) fourteen, and Or. Pavitt at sixteen. [Cheers.] Reverting again to the requisition of the ratepayers, Or. Brown said that in acceding to it ho had been prompted by duty and not ambition. He was proud to bo a member of the Council, hut did not hanker for the post of Mayor, and did not make up bis mind until he saw there was no one to oppose Or. Charters. Cr. Charters was a very good Councillor, but as much too young as he (Cr. Brown) was too old —[laughter]— to be Mayor. He thought a man of more mature age was desirable, and had suggested another councillor’s name, who had refused to stand himself, but had promised to support bis (the speaker’s) candidature. After some {miner reference to his action since he was a member of the Council, Cr. Brown concluded by saying that his platform was not to go to the Mayoral chair unless by fair means, to abstain from all dodgery or trickery, mean or despicable actions, tho consciousness of having committed which would, even in the event of success, take away all the satisfaction he should have in being elected Mayor. “Duty” bad always been his watchword and would continue to be so, and if he waa returned by the ratepayers he would give his time and attention to the duties and responsibilities of bis office to tho beat of his ability. [Cheers.] After a number of questions put by the meeting had been answered by Cr. Brown, Mr T. B. Craig said that ho had dealt fairly and ably with Or. Charters’ address, and he thought that, if returned, Cr. Brown would make a better Mayor than tho man who could issue such a thing. He begged to move a vote expressive of tho meeting’s confidence in Or. Brown as their future Mayor. Mr Miller seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. A vote of thanks to the chairman, proposed by Or. Brown, seconded by Mr Ladds, and carried unanimously, terminated the proceedings.