MAYORAL INSTALLATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 97, 9 May 1901, Page 2

MAYORAL INSTALLATION.

The stafcut try meeting for the purpose j| ■if installing the Mayor-1 lee 1 : (Mr. E. (, Dacktill)in his offic- 1 , was teld a--the „ OouncilChambarsatlOa.m.ooWednes ] diy. Present: Mr. E. Dockrill(Mayore'ect, in the chair), Crs, Ballringer, ■, Clow, LeaUnd, Broking, Curler, and c Venla, ; Or. Leiland, who took his seit fo - , j the first time sioce his re-election, made j [the usual declaration. , Or. Bellringer was appointed to wit- t n a s3. wi'li the Town Cl«rk, the daclara- , tion to be nude by tho Mayor-elect, ( Mr. Dorkrill then made the usua i sVutory declaration aod signed it, ( ifver whii-h he sj/d ha would like to . take ths opportunity of thauking the | Councillors for their attendance. He iho wished to convey bis hearty thanks ( to the burge'ses who had returned him to office again after three years' sarvice, and to tlwsa old members who had stood for re-eliction. A cry had been ■ raise i that the late Council was not progressive enough, bu l . the result of the recent poll showed that the burgages, as a whole, had every confide ice in the past actions of the Mayor and Councillors. He believed that if the other mejabfrs of the old Council had stood they would havo been re-elected ; also, ss it w-.s reocgnised that they bad always acted in what they considered the brist interests of tha town; but owing to 'private reasons they f mod it impossible to come forward again. However, he had no doubt the new moinbera who had tiken their p'.ajes would prove worthy suc-| CL>esors. He had been am used at the charges of non-pr.igress which bad been levid'ed at him from a certain quarte-, as on onei.c&igion he had lost an election because thes? same people thought he wis too progressive. Afc«r the swooping majority hy which he , had been re'urned he could, however, feel disposed to look over tb-se little attempts against him. He i ecognisjd that a li't'e opposition was conducive i to a healthy state of affa'rs. He hopsd that all would now pull together for I th* advancement of the interests of th« town. Referring to loan propo a ! s, the Mayor said the legal position of the . Council—as to whe' her it cool 1 go on . with the present proposals—"fas doubt- . f ul; but he was sure that in the p'o ent ' state of the money mavkut thi loan , could not be raised at the rate of in i torest which had bsen provilel for, . viz., 4 per cent. It wou'd bo be'.ter to j go >igain to the ratepayers for a laiger . and a more comprehensive am unb at a i higher rate, and it would be advis<bl« \to laisa loans for oaoh s^par>ta work, . and not lump them all together. In , connection with the work in hand hj I . was pleased to see that the racecourse . hill road was beiQg put in order. Some j people might ques ion the nesersity for 1 pushing on with this; but he looked . upon it as an urgent work, as the roid led to wh*t was really a popular recrea- . tion ground, and in the past he bad 3 always been fearful of an accident ocj curring on the occasion of race-ra etings j and shows, when the road was used by a large number of psopi*. Ho had 3 tried ts get the work put in hand be-j } fore, but had filled owing to the j j Council's lack of funds. Ilow.ver, tho , work was now proceeding, and it was 1 removing a source of danger as well as 5 adding to t>>e improvem nts of tie [ town. The Council was cletted for n , term rf two years, and t.his tern wou'd 3 pnve one of the most important io tho 5 history of the borough, owing to the , works pioposed, the loans for which he , had no doubt would bo agroe 1 to by tho j burgesses. These works would b-rno o s than had ever been carried out in any j similar period in tho previous hiilory . of the town. 3 Cr. Bellringer :No !

The Mayor : Well, I remsmb r what the town was like when 1 came to it twenty yeira ago, and I have seen towns io bush and gildfields districts which hav« more progress at the end of three or four years' rxistanci' than New Plymouth showed then. Or. Bellringer thanked the Mayo> for his congr it u'atory remarks. Ther would undoubtedly be a l*rga amount of work 1o get through during th' next two yeiw, and he hoped all would pull together, as If the Council would not S'ippoit the Mayor the latter would beinita unfortunate predicament of [not being able to do anything. Hj believed in progre«s, but did not wish jta fea a boom. He hoped to see a 'number of reforms irs'i'nted, and to see the Council acquira the gai works and get e'eetiic light for the birough. Or. Bellringer was not so confident as the Mayor that the ratepayers would consent to tbe raising of the loans ; hut ho vt&i prepared to do his te*t to asn's*; in carrying them, by laying each proposal separately before tbe rat*)1 payers. Toe town was in a thoroughly sound position, financially. The valuations were now doubjh what th<y were when he firs'; entered tbe Co'iccil. It wns necessary to coatißua the street improvements with vigoir. Iu concluding, ho hoped the Mayor wouhl keop Councillors strie'ly to rules of debate ho that business might be transacted with despatch, acd the Council would stand by lim.

Cr, Glow said he h&d no d' übfc that in prosecuting such necessary works ns the Govor street; improvement (to the racecourse) the Council would recrirc the approval of tho burge srs. Or. Carter said that though ho was a new O'Hiceiilor he cvnsidoiod tho burgesses h»d, by returning Mr. Doskrilt, shown their appreciation of the wo:k done by the 1 i<e Council. A little press criticism was healthy; but i s r emfd tobims'rangetlritin questioning the " morality " of ps' ac I in of the Council all the b'.amo .should hj, fastened <n t> the Mayor. Sjr ly the Couccilkrs had tome el fire in thofe action*, mid if blame wee merited, thty should heir their sham. Prfp'e often c-ntrastaJ the g.oat property of outside towns with that of New Plymouth, to tho latt'r's, deprecialiii), but the Council should diuw attontijn to New Plymouth's prospoious co-j----ditkn by eairyitg out a pivfriw sive policy i;i tho future, lie would like, among othtir thing;, to sec ruu'di-ipjl 'builditjgs erected, as the Council hid i site, aud such uu improvement would hannoniso Tfith the new public building which they expo-led to see erected in the near figure in the vicinity. (Or O.rter hore referred to the new post office.)

Cr. Bellrioger eaid ho cculd hardly take Or, Carter's remark* about muni-

cipal buildings seriously, though be hopsd at some time to see such erectedjj In the meantime the most important item < for the Council to consider would be drainage, public works (streets), water works, gas works, and electric light

In r«ply to a question from Or. Lea'and, the Mayor said the loin moneys could hive been raided fratn a private institution at 4| per cent,, but as the < p ills were taken on a proposed rate ef interest of 4 per cent, it was not de raed advisable to goon in the meantime. From cnquii ies he found that nearly nil the o'her boroughs in tie colony th it had gone in for bans Utely had to pay from 4| to 4| per cent., except one or two that had made their arrangements with the Government before th* riso in thi money market. Tlb discussion then dropped, and the Council adjourned.