The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 1901. THE MAYORAL ELECTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXIII, Issue 79, 24 April 1901, Page 2

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 1901. THE MAYORAL ELECTION.

It was aot our intention to again refer to this matter, but the unfair attack on Mr. Docktill in our evening contemporary cannot be allowed to pass unnoticed, After ab.'ufc a week's incubation he has featcked out about as illogical, ill-natured an article as it is possible ti conceive. It is well said that" it is an ill bird that fouls its own nest," and according to our esteemed contemporary New Plymouth is about as slow, behind the times, badly managed, undesirable a place to live iu as any town in New Zealand. Con sideling how large a share our contemporary chinas in running the town, and the fact that he has been its guide, philosopher and friend for upwards of fifty years he must be largely responsible f.-r the present condition of affairs. He, however, puts all the blame on Mr. Dockrill, to whom he appears to have a particular objection. He says : " Everyone knows, as well as wo do, that things might have been done much better." Seeing that he could not get a single person to support his efforts to bring abaut a contest in the election of Councillors, everyone appeared ,to know just tbe opposite. He appears to think the Mayor is the whole Council, and seems to auggestj that if the ratepayers take his advice the whole of the Councillors will be puppets to dance the any tuno played by the Mayor of his choosing. If we know anything of human riatura the New Plymouth Borough Councillo-s are not built that way. In oar opinion the town has joade and is making very satisfactory progress and doej not require any .stntter cash policy te advance it. Surely a mayor who has done his duty ably and will should be free from insult and •ibuse. Our contemporary says, referring to Mr. DickriU, "that he has Oiled the office admirably, and no one could more ungrudgingly and unselfishly devote his time to pu lie matters than he has done. But thut in itself constitutes ro claim." If th ; s is so we should like to know what does. If to do ones duty does not constitute a claim on ones fellow mea we fail to see what stronger claim can bi advanced, Our contemporary appears to think the ability ta spocd the ratepayers money constitutes the chief claim to ths support of the burgesses c.f New Plymouth. A very sore pvint wi*h him is the non raising and spending of the loan which was authorised some time back, but. he should put the blaim on the right shoulders. The Mayo'- and Councillors are bound to be guided in all important matters by their legal adviser, ar.d in a letter addressed by him to the Council on the subject of raising the loan the Borough .Solicitor said :—" I urn of opinion that the result of the poll was merely that the Council thereby obtained aa'hority to rais« the -WO,OOO on tlto conditions stated, and not that the Council became under any obligation to r*isa the loan." After (•jtioting at length from the Financial H'atement giving the r asons advanced by the Colonial Treasurer for delaying th« raising ef a colonial loan Solicitor

goes on to any " These romarks seem to me to be singularly applicable ti what h?s occurred here and to the present position, and I do not think that it would be wise under present circumstances to act on the authority which the ratepayers gave in January last." If ourcontsmporary was honcsfc instead of using the de!ay in the prosecution of public works to'oust Mr. Dockrill from the mayoral chair he would be the firs' to uphold his conduct in acting so strictly in accord with the opinion of the Conncil'ii legal adviser although contrary to p!pular opinion. Our contemporary has again failed to advance one daund reason against Mr. Dockrill's re-election.