The Daily News. FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 1914. THE MAYORALTY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 272, 24 April 1914, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 1914. THE MAYORALTY.

The Mayor has not yet bothered to reply to Mr. Wibon's criticism of his administration and fitness to occupy the Mayoral chair for another term. Perhaps he thinks there is no need to in view of the obviously weak case Mr. Wilson makes out against him. Perhaps Mr. Browno's silence is due to the state of his health, which has been far from satisfactory of late, but we must confess we would like to see Mr. Browne take the platform, even for an evening, and expose the liollownoss and weakness of his opponent's criticism. Mr. Browne has nothing to fear. He has a record which speaks more eloquently than anything he or hjs opponent might say. He has done things; he has not merely talked and promised. : He has, in fact, a record of public achievement that few men in New Plymouth have equalled and none excelled. He has acted throughout his term of office with singular zeal and unvarying high principle, the town's welfare alwaya being placed first and lis own interests last. The public know this, and, if we mistake not, are not going to allow their judgment to be influenced by the plausible and vain and feeble criticism that has lately been directed against Mm and his administration. We really feel sorry that Mr. Wilson has not a better and stronger case. He certainly is making the most of it, lawyer-like, but it reI quires no Wonderful perspicacity to de-

teet the weakness and ineonclusiveness of what he serves up as arguments for effecting a change in the Mayoralty. His "piece de resistance" is the purchase of land at the waterworks whereby £3OO was thrown away. But what is the use of Mr, Wilson bringing this charge at a stage when the Council's hands are tied! There would have been some sense in drawing public attention to the matter at the time it was being' dealt with. As a, matter of fact, hardly a soul outside the Council knew anything about the negotiations or of the allegation that the Council had been unnecessarily spending money in the purchase of this land. The whole question was dealt with in committee, and on being reported in open Council did Councillor Wilson have anything to say by way of protest? Of course, ne had not. Then why labor the point? It may be there are very good reasons for tile Council making the purchase. We don't know,-but it would be as well for the Mayor to make a full and frank statement on the point. At the same time, it must be remembered that the Mayor could never have carried tho motion to purchase the land had not a majority of the Council supported it, and if a mistake has been made, as

Mr. Wilson so emphatically—and, we may add, so fatuously—declares, itJie responsibility is the Council's, not the Mayor's. Another charge Mr. Wilson has been regularly trotting out is the Mayor's attitude over raising and widening lower Carrington road. The plans, it seems from Mr. Wilson's statement, provided ; .for the purchase of several

hundred pounds' worth of extra land that had not been mentioned in the loan proposals, and for that reason the money would have to come out of the general fund. The Council refused to fall in with the idea, and thero the matter ended. At least, the matter should have

ended there, but Mr. Wilson has been so hard-up for ammunition to fire at his opponent that he actually puts forward

the incident as a reason for the removal of Mr. Browne from office. Surely, Mr. Wilson must have a poor opinion of the intelligence and discrimination of, burgesses if lie thinks they will oust Mr. Browne on grounds so obviously weak and unconvincing and in- ; stal him in bis stead. In his more recent meetings, Mr. Wilson has condemned the idea of electing a man from reasons of "sympathy." Fortunately, Mr. Browne has some more staple

grounds on which to rest his candidature and claim for a renewal of support —namely, performance and . results. P.ven Mr. Wilson in his most confident moments cannot deny the "work Mr. Browne has done in the interests- of the town. It speaks for itself. Burgesses are not blind and not unmindful of their best interests, which can be brat secured by giving Mr. Browne another term of offico in order to carry on the various big schemes he and his Council luvve successfully launched.