MAYORAL INSTALLATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 381, 5 May 1910, Page 2

MAYORAL INSTALLATION.

TllßllT. MAYOR OF XliW PLYMOUTH. The statutory meeting l f«r the installation oi Mr. 0. Tiscli as Mayor ot Xew llyniouth for the third term was held yesterday morning. The councillors present were Messrs E. im-krill, I<\ C. Beliringer, A. K Catkins, H. JGilbert, 0. AY. Browne, ,F. E. Wilson, J. F. Hooker, Jas. Clarke. The Mayor, having made and signed the usual declaration, took his .seat. Addressing the Council, his Worship said that having at the last meeting ot the Council made reference to the yeai »| estimates of receipts and expeiulituie, it was not necessary to traverse that ■"■ round again, other than to lemind councillors ~that expenditure on new works would have to he curtailed, ioi, in addition to the £4OO required to meet interest charges on the recent £BOOO loan, .the estimates for the year would include £IOO to replace the piesent insanitary and dilapidated stables, £95 to pay "for horses recently purchased, and £SO for experimental groins to .prevent the erosion of the clifls along Wooleomhe Terrace and to restore the sandy beaches. He remarked in passing that it was proposed to utilise in the erection of ( -new stables the timber fiom Messrs Xewman and Xolan's buildings recently acquired by the Council in tfi« process of connecting Gill and St. Aubyn streets. . > Streets; —During the past year lioO yards of machine-crushed and 500 yds of hand-broken metal had been placed on the streets, and in addition some 1500 yards of gaol gravel had been used on footpaths and in making up the sides of streets, oeveral of itlie roauwHys, too, had been tarred, and it has been found that besides making an excellent road surface this tarring minimised the dust nuisance. The Council had accepted the offer of the Taranaki Petroleum Company to supply a quantity of crude petroleum to 'be used ill laying down new metal. He expressed the opinion that the streets had ,been Kept in good condition, fully justifying the Councils action, in the face uf some adverse criticism, in giving the engineer ,the undivided control of the streets. He did, not know that the streets of the.borough had ever been in better condition at "the close of the mayordl year, and he had the satisfaction of knowing, too, that the engineer had 1700 of boulders and metal in stock, and over 500 yards of beach gravel for immediate use. i Electric light.—His Worship briefly referred to the electric lighting depaitment, but said he would not encroach on the province of the chairman of the committee, who intended submitting a review of the work at the next Council meeting. It wa*s very satisfactoiy to see, however, that as the result of a little over four years' operations the department, alter' paying interest snd all working expenses, there was a credit .balance of £3175. Reserves.—During the year the Council had dealt with the matter of raising revenue from its reserve on the Avenue road, where it was sought to make ten acres of the old racecourse reserve available for leasing t as building sites. One of the clauses of the proposed Bill made it compulsory to apply at least £2OO of the'revenue to ,the upkeep and improvement of reserves in the boroui'h. He trusted that the ratepayers would endorse the Council's action in regard to this matter, as it was absolutely necessarv that funds should be foitlicoming for the upkeep of the reserves. Tramways.—Having made a promise to the ratepayers to .take action in the matter of providing an electric tram service for the town, he had com'eneu a meeting of the Council's tramway committee. That committee, after fully considering all information available, had heen" unanimous in recommending that a tramway service be .installed between Fitzrov and the breakwater, and that a tramway district be formed including the borough ,of New Plymouth, the town district of Fitzroy, the town district of St. Aubyn, and a small portion of the Omata j-idfiig of the county round about Moturoa; and that the Xew Plymouth borough be asked to take the initiative and promote a Rill to give effect to the foregoing recommendation. Whilst the questions of tramways was being considered he intended "to hold over the question of streets' formation and drainage extension, although it would be possible and necessary .to make a forward move in these matters. Leach street formation, for instance, was a case of urgency. Extensions of sewers he proposed should be done out of revenue derived from extraordinary water supply in connection with the drainage installations. Mr. Tisch- went on to congratulate the Council on the amount of permanent works completed during the year. They would remember that (when he first accepted office as Mayor he had strongly urged the necessity for placing aside a very much larger ,sum for carrying out concrete kerbing and channelling, and for the improvement of our sea-front, maiong the town ,far more attractive and inducing increased numbers of people to spend their holidays here. In that view, he was glad to say he had been well supported by the Council, and some good work had been done. He remarked ( that amongst other matters in which he had interested himself was the revival of holiday-making on the anniversary day of the province, and the holdine of a monster seaside picnic on New- Year's Day. He had devoted the whole of his time to the work of the borough and the interests of its people, endeavoring not to overlook anvthing I that would advance its welfare. He had used his influence in beautifying the town, ,and endeavored to imbue the bursresse-- and the rising generation with the same spirit by. offering prizes for the best-kept gardens in the case of the adults, and giving prizes for essays by the children on the need for and best means of beautifying the town.

Having; fulfilled his pledges, he had looted .forward to saving farewell ta municipal work that da v. instead of entering upon another year's occupancy of the mayoral chair. But he had felt that he jeonid not, without some very strong reason, deeline to accede to the request preferred by that very large deputation. and he had decided to accent office for one year more. He felt very rrr.it.eful indeed for the confidence vcuos<'d in him. and he would continue to devote his time and attention to the work. During the .two years of officii he had had Very little or no adverse criticism, and therefore it was quite refreshing to have heard *nnd r*(l lately of the Council's supposed misdoings. The Mayor added, amidst a chorus of "hear, hears/' that he belonged to mo party or clique, and always spoke his • mind, without fear or favor —a course which he would continue to adopt. JTe concluded tey consratulating the Council upon the possession of *ueh an |>nccllent staff, arid thanked the individual i members of the Council and staff for their courtesy and assistance so cheerfully given at all times during the year.

Cr. Fred. Bellrirtger congratulated the Mayor upon again resuming the position of chief citizen of Xew Plymouth, and also upon the manner in which he had conducted the business of the Council. It must be indeed gratifying to Mr. Tisch, as he knew it was to the great body of the ratepayers. When his Worship had acceded to the request of the deputation to again accept office, his decision met nvith practically unanimous approval. The speaker recognised that the Mayor had frequently sacrificed his personal convenience to the public good. He congratulated him upon the programme set out for the year's work, and said there was no doubt .that by the end of the year he would be able to point to a fulfilment of that programme. Cr. Beliringer challenged contradiction ..of the statement that the streets, under the present regime, were in as good order as ever they had been. Cr. Dockrill endorsed these remarks, ■and said 'ho would be pleased if the Mayor would "go one better,' and leave not a penny of overdraft for his successor to face. Crs. Watkins and Browne also tendered their congratulations to the Mayor. An adjournment was made subsequently to the Mayor's room, where councillors and staff, and member:, /of the tramways committee's deputation, were the guests of his Worship. Over ■brimming liowls of sparkling Pommery and other illuminants, the health of the Mayor and Mrs. Tisch was drunk amidst enthusiasm. Then followed the toasts of 'The Tramway Scheme"; "Fitzrov and St. Aubyn Town districts," replied to by the respective and prospective "Mayors," Messrs Cutfield and Blanohard; "The County Council," Rev. E. Allanson replying,' ''The Municipal Staff," responded to 'by Messrs F. T. Beliringer (town clerk), A. H. Kendall (horoxigh engineer) and H. Black (electrical engineer); find "The Press."