Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1925. MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2845, 12 February 1925, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1925. MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS.

THE Mayor’s eleventh-hour'a I tilmle iu connection wit 1 1 the swimming l.atlis question was ingenuous to say the least and elmraeterislie of his methods in dealing with puhlie all'airs. That, he deserved the chastisement' administered by CTs. Ross and Smith will he endorsed by all who have watched the Mayors attitude in connection with the baf-lis question. In the first place the Mayor set his mind upon the river site for the baths and displayed a fair amount of enthusiasm on the subject until he discovered that the public were against the locality. He then advocated a site at the rear of the Council Chamber. Tn the meantime an up to date proposal was brought forward by Cr. Ross that the baths be put down on Easton Park, and that the ratepayers be given an opportunity to sanction a loan for the erection of a public library and rest room on the same spot, separate loan proposals, to be taken .simultaneously. It will be remembered that the Mayor was the moving spirit in utilising the whole of the insurance money on the borough council chambers and public, library destroyed by (ire in re-erecting the Council Chambers and excluding the library. A public meeting of ratepayers was convened which practically unanimously turned down the river and Council sites for public swimming baths in favour of Fusion Park and carried a resolution authorising the Council to submit separate loan proposals for these objects. That was at the end of 1023. But the Council took no further action in the matter until the Mayor sprung his little surprise on them at last Council meeting. The Mayor’s action in the matter is in deliberate defiance to the ratepayers recommendations and is childishly transparent. He knows very well that unless there is unanimity on the question of site for the baths the loan for this- purpose may he prejudiced and lost and his attitude in connection with the library loan is elmraeterislie of his parsimonious policy. In the circumstances it would be better to defer both proposals until a new Council is elected as suggested by Crs. Smith and Ross. If this suggestion is adopted a further opportunity will he afforded ratepayers to hear the views of aspirants for the Mayoralty and Council, on these ami other questions which have been neglected by the Council as a I present constituted. To say the least, the time is opportune for a change in civic con trot.