The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 1915. THE MAYORAL CONTEST.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 273, 28 April 1915, Page 4

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 1915. THE MAYORAL CONTEST.

Burgesses are not showing any great enthusiasm over the New Plymouth mayoral contest, nor are the candidates, for that matter. The sitting Mayor (Mr J. E. Wilson) addressed a meeting on Monday evening, but it had to do mainly with the borough's finances and proposed loan proposals, and little or no connection with the candidates. It is to be regretted he did not take advantage of the occasion to render an account of his stewardship for the past year. Really, he touched upon no fresh matter, except to stress the point of the probable retirement of the borough engineer, so much so, Meed, that.it would almost appear as if that official was about to enact the unenviable role of scapegoat, and take upon his shoulders all the sins of omission and commission of the whole Council. This is somewhat singular in view of the vote of confidence and appreciation extended by the Council to Mr. Skitrop the other day. There have been mistakes made in the past-—very grave mistakes, the full effects of which have not, we. fear, yet been realised by ratepayers, but the mistakes have happened not so much in the last year or two but during a much longer period. For those mistakes the borough will have to pay, and pay pretty stiffly, in the future. But the past is gone and only its lessons remain. It is the future with which ,ve are more concerned. The borough is at a critical stage of its career and can afford to make no more mistakes 1 . Capable administration more than the promotion of new schemes is what is required. The new loan proposals, or the greater part of them, however, must be carried, or the town will find itself in a very awkward predicament. So far as the remaking of Devon Street is concerned, if the loan is not carried the Council will have no option but to provide the necessary money out of rates, which, we imagine, by this time next year will be quite ns healthy as the greatest optimist in the town desires. A permanent roadway has to be put down. Had this been done ten years ago, even at the excessive cost of the experimental concrete piece in Brougham ' Street, the town would have been decidedly better off. The Council has learned the lesson and is wisely following the permanent work policy. As for the Mayor's candidature, it must be admitted that he has not so far had a fair chanre to show his capacity to guide the destinies of the town. For tho first throe

ox four months of liis term lie was kid up with illness, which left him scarcely fit for the onerous work with which .the Council has had to wrestle this year, which was probably the most trying In Hie history of New Plymouth, and would have taxed the resources of the most robust and experienced Mayor. The ensuing year promises to he equally as exacting, and this renders it all the more necessary for the burgesses to exercise the greatest care in making th-jir choic-3. They have had experience of both the candidates and should be able to judge of their respective merits and abilities. There is something to be said in favor of the principle of not 'swopping horses in the middle, of the stream," and that may be taken into account. Both candidates have a grip of borough affairs, but the question for the electors to decide is which of the twain can best fill the office at thi* critical period of the borough's history.