THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, APRIL 19, 1909. THE MAYOR'S CHALLENGE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3167, 19 April 1909, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, APRIL 19, 1909. THE MAYOR'S CHALLENGE.

Elsewhere we publish a telegram from the Mayor, stating that he is willing to accept Cr Hunter's, challenge, provided that gentleman will contest the election for Mayor with him. In issuing the challenge, his Worship has, in our opinion, adopted an entirely commendatory course of action. Everyone in the community knows that for the past twelve months, at least, there have been two parties in the Borough Council, and that there has been considerable friction between them. It is altogether desirable, from several points of view, that such friction should be brought to a close, and the approaching election certainly offers an excellent opportunity for threshing out the whole question of municipal finance. We can quite understand that each aide has been actuated by the best of motives, and has and does sincerely believe in its contentions, but we can clearly see in a matter where such a great divergence of opinion exists, that bothjsides cannot possibly be in the right. The opposing parties have been led, respectively, by the Mayor and Cr Hunter, and between the statements on municipal affairs of the "city fathers" mentioned, there is a most extraordinary discrepancy. The Mayor, in a letter recently published in our columns, declared that Cr Hunter is "pitifully ignorant" of municipal finances, and Cr Bunter has replied that it is not he. but the Mayor, who occupies such a painful and humiliating position. The present Mayor, it will be remembered, beat Mr J. M. Coradine, who had many supporters, after a keen contest, and Cr Hunter was returned to the Council by a large majority—piling, we believe, a record number of votes in connection with any previous Borough Council election. It is evident, therefore, that bath challenger and challenged have many supporter?. We do not know whether Cr Hunter proposes to accept the Mayor's challenge,bbutt t we cannot help expressing the opinion that he would be studying his reputation as a public man by accepting it. Cr Hunter can hardly decline to serve the large body of burgesses who placed him in the Council, for he was returned by them to protect and further their interests, and as we have said, he can hardly "give up" while in the midst of his work. The dispute between the Mayor and Cr Hunter is too serious,

and has gone too far, for it to be creditably settled by either party retiring Jtrom municipal politics at the present moment. The burgesses should be allowed an opportunity of expressing an opinion through the ballot box upon the questions at issue, and both disputants should, we venture to say, be only too anxious to afford the burgesses the opportunity referred to.