THE MAYORALTY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 717, 4 July 1878, Page 2

THE MAYORALTY.

TO THE EDITOR OF TUE EVENING MAIL. Sill,—While agreeing to a great extent with your correspondent "Citizen," I think it is a matter of regret that lie should have displayed so much bitterness in his letters. There can be no doubt that the present occupant of the chair, although an l undoubtedly excellent " trumpeter," is not the only man in Oamaru capable of filling the position with dignity. We have had other Mayor.-; equally as good and honorable, though, perhaps, not so largely endowed with citcoefheloijiiiouU. lam not one of those who think that nothing can be done in a public way without the assistance of the present Mayor, and while I freely admit that he has performed a very great amount of good for the town, I maintain ho is not deserving of all the credit which has been heaped upon him, at his own seeking to some extent. Many public benefits and advantages which have accrued to the town for which he has received and taken the credit, were not the results of his labors solely, but were in many cases initiated and carried forward to a great extent by others. Still, Mr. Steward is deserving of a very large meed of public praise for many measures benelicial to the town which lie, in his public capacity, has boon instrumental in obtaining. But tiiis does not establish his claim to be Mayor of Oamaru for ever. He has occupied the position of Mayor for two years, and surely that should bo suflkieut to gratify the ambition of any man. The oiiice iiiould be a rolling one, and be at the disposal of cwvy good citizen commanding the ro&poct and eonlidenee oi the ratepayers. If it is to be perpetually filled by one man, for heaven's sake let it be so uiuiersiood, and let a sufficient salary be attached to the oiiice to entitle the town to the whole of the time and services of the holder. I have lately heard a groat deal said about the necessity for Mr. Steward being again re-elected, in order thai he may see the Wateworks' scheme carried to completion ; and some people have even gone- the. length of saying that the whole thing would go wrong were Mr. Steward removed from its suitervision. This is all humbug. We shall presently have it argued that a government should remain in power until it has completed all the works it had begun. The same arguments, if 1 may give them such, a name, were used at the last election. .But there is nothing in them. Surely to goodness we have in Oamaru more than one man capable of looking after such a work. The water supply scheme did not emanate from the present Mayor's brain, he did not share in its initiation, and has not. so far as I am aware, done anything of a very wonderful nature in reference to the carrying out of the work. Then, why should we be told that tho whole success of the scheme depeuds upon his remaining in the Mayoral chair 'I Other large undertakings were carried out successfully by his predeoossors—notably, during Mr. Sumptor's term of office, during which the supplying of the town with gas and tiie construction of the Oamaru bridge were completed, and the Waterworks scheme entered upon. Mr. Steward, I am sure, will pardon me if I say that he holds by far too many prominent public positions to be able to do justice to them and himself. Tu fact, wo have been wont to look too much to one man for the fulfilment of everything, and hence tho remark 'made use of so frequently by visitors—" Oamaru is only a one-horse town."—l am, &e., Share the Sweets.