Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1894. MAYORAL CANDIDATES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4856, 20 October 1894, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1894. MAYORAL CANDIDATES.

Foil two years past we have had no Mayoral contest in Masterton, and

municipal matters liavo remained in tht condition o£ time-honoured 1 muddle for which they have become noted. The approaching election is, ! however, to be contested, for already ; Mr Heron has stated that lie will . stand again, and Mr Hornbloiv lias ' announced that lie willsfaudngaiust him, It is also understood that those ! interested in water and drainnge will nominate a candidate, so that there : will be a field of three for the burgesses to select from. Mr Heron has many friends, and deserves a ! 1 considerable measure of support. He i is thoroughly honest aud conscien- ; tious in all his actions, and we ■ •would sooner ourselves support him j than oppose him, Unfortunate)]', , however, he is adverse to a water aud drainage scheme, and 011 this ( ground we cannot regard his candi- < ' datura with favour, But as Mr ] Hornbloiv, the Secretary of the local I Water aud Drainage Committee is J alsu a candidate, we have of course, ( a good representative of our views! 1 Alas, nt a meeting of his friends on Thursday evening Mr Hornbloiv ] announced that lie had dropped 1 water and drainage out of his pro- 1 grammo, and was going against ] them. \Yo did not hear Mr Horn- s blow's speech 011 this occasion, t but we take it that the gonial candi- 1 date, ivlio is always frank, must have t expressed himsolf to this effect 1 " Gentlemen, I know that "Water and J Drainage are necessary for the health, essential for the commercial progress, and indispensabile to the j general prosperity of Masterton. I j am of the opinion that unless the town moves forward it will .havo' ■to [ take a back seat and Pahiatua will t till its place as ihe principal centre r of population in the dibtrict But, I gentlemen, lny opinions are not your \ opinions, and in an election I would 11 prefer to bo guided by your opinions. c Therefore, I will pledge myself to a Jj policy of stagnation and if you do ut me the honour to return me you will ; jj find that no one ivill do less for tho j tl town than myself," The tiling that's)

puzzles us, however, is'why "Mr;; Hornblow should seek to displace Mr Heron unless lie is prepared to , do somothirig that the latter is un-1 likely to accomplish. Tho only 'ground we see on which he has a claim on the ratepayers is tho probability of his doing less than Mr Heron. What is wanted is a live mau to come out and give the town a lift forward. We do not seo why such a candidate should not winovon against the much respected but somewhat sluggish Mr Heron, or even against the popular light-weight who is now making the running. Had Mr Hornblow adhered to the opinions previously expressed by him on the water aud draiuago question we should certainly havo supported his candidature as against Mr Heron's but his change of front ought not to bo condoned. We learn, too, that Mr Potvnail lias, expressed an intention of ngain coming forward, If ho comes into the field with a view to carry out water and drainage it will be our duty in the iuterests of the town to support his candidature. Water and drainage have to be carried and tho sooner the Council and the burgesses are brought to understand tho importance of these reforms the better it will bo for Masterton, We shall support no candidate for either Municipal or Mayoral honours who is not distinctly on the side, of essential reforms of this kind. The ratepayers may bo foolejj by Councillors like Mr Hornblow proposing to clean a pestilential creok with a bucket of wator, but any man with common sense.knows that an efficient water supply and effective drainage will alone make the town healthy aud lit to live in. It would seem that in this town the average burgess would sooner take a daily risk of a dose of typhoid than pay a shilling or two a.year to keep the town clenn, and that some of our leading public men encourago this deplorable sentiment.