The Daily News. TUESDAY, APRIL 24. THE MAYORAL ELECTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8092, 24 April 1906, Page 2

The Daily News. TUESDAY, APRIL 24. THE MAYORAL ELECTION.

To-mobrow the burgesses of New Plymouth will have the opportunity of exercising their electoral priveleges, and deciding at the ballot which of the two gentlemen ofEenng is to be honored with appointment to the highest municipal office it is in the power of the people to bestow. It is a healthy sign of returning interest in municipal matters that the election is to be a contested one, and the people are to be congratulated on the fact that both candidates for the position are men of sterling worth and integrity. Both Mr Dockrill and Mr Roy are men agaiust whom, privatoly and publicly, no aspersions can be cast. On personal grounds, therefore, except that Mr Dockrill has the advantage of having had a more lengthy experience of municipal matters, there is practically nothing to choose. 'Without further comment that phase of the question may be dismissed at once, and the claims of the candidates examined on public grounds. *

* * # To our mind there is a clear-cut issue, \rliich, when presented to the burgesses, should enable them without difficulty to decide which way their votes are to be cast. The position, in a measure, is rather a peculiar one. The Council as at present constituted is practically evenly divided on all the more important matters that are just now agitating the public mind' For instance, all the recent retrenchment and staff-reorganisation proposals have been decided on the casting vote of the Mayor, Mr Cock. On those latter questions alone, to-morrow's election possesses a,particular significance. It is well known that there is a section of the Council that is not yet satisfied with the staff-organisation resolutions as they at present stand on the books of the Council. They recognise, how. ever, that it would be futile to attempt to upset the latest decision, with the Council as at present constituted, indeed, we may state that an effort would have been made to do so at last night's meeting of the Borough Council had not wiser counsel prevailed, and it was decided to hold the matter in abeyance pending the result of the mayoral election.

* # # # Hebe, then, is an issue—as wo already mentioned, a clear-cut one—and the burgesses, are called upon to decide which party they are going to support, the democrats or tho re-actionaries, we may term them for the sake of distinction. To which party are the respective candidates for the mayoralty likely to give allegiance, or more properly, which of the parties will they lead? On this point the burgesses should certainly have had » little more enlightenment from the candidates themselves. Nevertheless, we have had enough to enable us to judge fairly accurately the views of the candidates. Unfortunately for Mr Eoy, he does not appear at present to hold any decided views, and he has not taken the voters into his confluence.

* # # o Is announcing his acceptance of tho requisition asking him to offer himself for election, he committed himself to this non-committal statement: "If elected I shall approach my duties with an open mind, having formed no llxed opinions as to whether any changes are desirable or not." In the peculiar position of parties at the Council table at the present time, such a statement seems to be fatal to Mr lloy's chance of success. On the other hand, Mr Dockrill has to some extent outlined a programme, which, to all intents and purposes, is one of caution, consistent with the views of the majority of the present Borough Council, In his case there woulcWse no danger of the present scheme of retrenchment and staif-re-organisation being interfered with. •»■ • *

Ont evening contemporary, by a process of devious and illogical argument, endeavors to place the responsibility for blunders in connection with the expenditure of the loan moneys on to the shoulders of Mr Dockrill. As Mr Dockrill was in office wheu Mr Mestayer was selected for the responsible position of consulting engineer, the "Herald" unjustly insinuates that the responsibility is his. With this contention we entirely disagree. When Mr Mestayer was selected for the position, ho possessed credentials and a reputation second to none in the Colony. The works were not carried out during Mr Dockrill's term of office; indeed, they were scarcely commenced. When the subsequent Mayor and Council discovered that Mr Mestayer failed to carry out his engagements, they should have made other arrangements, instead of blundering on as was done. For the carrying out of the loan works and the blunders that occurred, Mr Dockrill cannot by any process of reasoning be held responsible. * * # *

Equally as misleading and unfair iq the " Herald's" reference to Mr Dockrill's connection with the gasworks, and the paltry assertion that "no sensible man would wlliugly seek to occupy a false position." There is no reason why the affairs of the Gas Company need ever clash with the administration of the electric light by the Mayor and Councillors. The two can and will work in friendly business competition. We should be the very first to decry any attempt at interference with, or curtailment of the ratepayers' interests, in the electric light. In conclusion, we believe that at the present time the ratepayers and, householders' interests would best be served by Mr Dockrill, to whose claims for preferment we confidently recommend the burgesses.