NOMINATION OF MAYOR FOR LAWRENCE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 374, 18 July 1874, Page 2

NOMINATION OF MAYOR FOR LAWRENCE.

At noon on Wednesday the nomination of candidates for the office of .Mayor of «fche town of Lawrence took place in the Council Chambers. There was a very fair attendance of ratepayers. The Mayor occupied the chair, and after informing the ratepayers that the requirements of the Ordinance had been complied with, he proceeded to open the nomination papers. Mr. William Hayes proposed, and Mr. Thomas Arthur seconded, Mr. Mathew Hay as a fit and proper person for the office of Mayor for the ensuing year. Mr. George Walker proposed, and Mr, W. Henry Cox seconded, Mr. Andrew Ferguson as a fit and proper person to occupy the position. *

Neither the proposer nor seconder of Mr, Hay being present, the Mayor asked the candidate if he~wished to address the ratepayers.

Mr. Hay said, in coming forward as a candidate for the Mayoralty h^did so at the request of a large number of the ratepayers, He did not intend to exert any undue influence in his candidature, but would trust to the long services he had rendered to the town both in the Council and outside of it. The various works he had been the means of iniatiting speak for themselves. He had devoted a considerable portion of his time and attention for the benefit of the town. Since he first took office in the Town Council in the year 1868 great progress had been made, and as ah instance of this he would refer to a proposition made at that time calling for competitive designs for a new Town Hall the amount not to exceed £500, and contrasted the ideas of the people of that time with those of the present when a Tos\ n Ha.ll is being erected to cost £3000. He had not the slightest doubt but that in a few years the revenue from the T«vrn Hall would not only pay the interest on the borrowed money, but contribute a consider^ able portion of the principal. The speaker next touched upon the construction of the culverts in Whitehaven-street and Ross Place to prevent the flooding of the streets, and showed that his views in that matter had been given effect to, and the ratepayers were all aware of the benefit these works had been to the town. In referring to the water question, the speaker said that the first cost of the water supply was £1740 ; then additions to, the amount of £150 had been made, makings tofed of £ls9o, X the wteresf

been paid on the debentures and the rent paid for the use of the water be added to that smount, they had the grand total of £3000 in j Ji he debentures fall due in May next, and wai require to be paid. The candidate Bald he was in favour of extending- the mains to tlie corner of Whitehaven-streot, but with regard to the purifying of the water there were grave doubts. They had a report from the Government Engineer which suggested a plan, but the Council were doubtful if it would be successful, as the water had so far to run in an open ditch that it came dirty into the mud hole, and he thought they could not prevent its going out dirty. He then referred to the financial position of the Wm. At present the Corporation had to its oredit the sum of £1100 and some £30 of rates to collect. Out of the £2000 loan for the Town Hall, the sum of £660 had already been paid. It would therefore be seen that, with the amount of cash in the bank, the sum at the disposal of tne Council for the Town Hall is only £1760 ; but if we keep in mind the fact that the bank account at the time the £2000 was borrowed was overdrawn to the amount of £200, it will be seen that even although the Beaumont Road contract cost the Council £200 in excess of the amount given by the Government towards the work that the Council has only mado use of some £30 or £40 of the loanf or other than its legitimate purpose. As a matter of congratulation to the ratepayers, he would remind them that during the last year of the Council valuable reserves had been secured, extending along the Beaumont Road, on one side a distance of a quarter of a mile, and a considerable distance ou the other ; and he had no doubt that in the course of time these reserves would realise a revenue equal to the present rates. Then they had also succeeded in having the Government camp reserve cut up bo that Campbelton-street could be carried through to Peel-street, and then so make a double block of the reserve. When cut up and surreyed for building sites and sold, this reserve would, he believed, contribute £100, or probably more, to the rates. The Council had also secured the prison labor for the cutting down and formation of streets ; and he had

no doubt Lancaster-street woidd eventually be made fit for dray traffic from Ross Place ftmiwards, and as they had now a district jail, would be additional prison labor for other similar works, such as the cutting of a portion off the steep gradient at the head of Peel-streefc. The candidate then referred at

considerable length to the question of the drainage of the town. This question, he said, must naturally force itself upon the inhabitants of the town, and more especially upon those residing in Ross Place, and now that the embankment had been erected, that portion of the town having no natural outlet for drainage would, if not at the present

season of the year, at all events in the summer,

be a complete quagmire, to the probable danger of the health of the residents of the town. The candidate suggested that a sewer should be carried aloug inside the embankment up to the creek near Mr. Wootton's, where there would always be a stream of clear water to keep the sewer clean. If elected ho would do his best to get the management of the new Cemetery placed in the hands of the Council, in order that the ground may be improved. He would also do his utmost to obtain permission to remove the bodies from the old cemetery, so that the ground occupied by it might be got as a Municipal reserve. Being in the centre of the town it would then be a valuable piece of land. With regard to the loan which was passed by the Council last year, it was then agreed to borrow £5000 for the following works : — water works, sewerage, formation of new streets, erection of a Town Hall and the redemption of the outstanding debentures. There was no stipulation that the Town Hall should come first on the list.

The candidate in bringing his addresß to a close intimated that as he had announced by advertisement to hold meetings on Saturday and Monday, he would then be able to go more fully into the various municipal matters interesting to the ratepayers ; in the meantime he would thank them for their patient hearing, and trusted that his past services would not be forgotten. The Mayor then asked Mr. Ferguson's proposer if he had any remarks to make. Mr. George Walker said it gave him great pleasure to propose Mr. Ferguson, who he believed was well capable of filling the position in an honorable and faithful manner. He proposed him both on personal and public grounds. He was satisfied the town would receive the attention it required at the hands of Mr. Ferguson. The Corporation, he thought, was not in the very flattering

position that some people seem to think, and things were not as they should be. If his (Mr. Walker's) candidate were elected, he believed the various important matters likely to engage the attention of the Council during the next twelve months would receive the

consideration they required. ■ft. Mr. Ferguson said it was not ln's.intention at this time of the day to occupy the time of the ratepayers. He had called a meeting for the evening, when he would enter fully into the various matters of interest to the town, and he thought he would be in a position to show a very different picture from the flattering one presented to them by Mr. Hay. He stated that, having received a very influential requisition, he considered himself in a measure bound to accede to the request of the ratepayers and allow himself to be nominated; at the same time he had no particular ambition for the office. He would be' glad to meet as many of the ratepayers in the evening as could make it convenient to attend his meeting. The Mayor said, there being more than one candidate,' the election would take place on Tuesday, the 21st instant, the day appointed by the Ordinance.