THE MAYORAL ELECTION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4882, 21 November 1894, Page 2

THE MAYORAL ELECTION.

\jlr Pownall before the Electors

' A large number of ratepayers assembled at the Temperance Hall last ■ evening, in response to an invitation from Mi- O, A, Pownall, a candidate ( for the office of Mayor of Mastcrton at the coming election. • •, ■ j At the request of Mr Pownall tlio . present Mayor, Mr Heron, took the ] chair, and said he'had much pleasure in : introducing Mr Pownall, but . cp.uid'nqtv'yery, well solicit votes oii, Mi- Pownall's behalf, being also a ' candidate, (Laughter), f; .' ; i! Mr Pownall said his motive in'; coming forward was simply because he differed inopinion with Mr Heron, as otherwise ho should have-been ' pleased to support him. The other candidate he passed over for the,' present, Ho had hem misrepresented, a good deal, and had therefore called the meeting to broadly outline his views, hoping again to address the ratepayers bofoiD;the olectiom. took place. He had somo confidence in again coming forward, haviugifbr the three years ho previously .occupied the Mayoral Chair, he thought; he might say,)carried out't.the': duties creditably to all concerned.; It'had been said and used as a weapon against him, that he was;! coming forward solely ns the advocate'of a high pressure water and drainage scliomo. This was totally unfair! to judge a candidate solely by one measure, but he might tell, them' plainly that he was in favoriof a water supply, either now or at,somo future time, and of some kind, It was all.very well for alarmists to say that all he (Mr Pownall) was going in for was to increase their taxes, But ho need hardly remind them that it was absolutely impossible to INCRKASE TAXATION' or carry any loan proposal without the consent of the ratepayers interested. While wishing them to under- , stand he was still in favour of a water supply—hot necessarily any particular one—circumstances had arisen in connection with the condition of the Mastcrton Gas Works, Which made it advisable to! postpone any such project for the time. He might here stato that any proposal to reduce the' Borough area was out . of the question, while a loan was due , to the Crown on the Gas Works. While in favour of a water supply, , the result of tho last poll showed : plainly that the feeling of the rate--1 payers was against it in the form put to them. This fact was plain, and , the only plan ho should be in favour of was to make a' special rating . area, to raise a loan. But the pres- ■ ent Municipal Act did not permit 5 this, he would not disguiso from ' them, but measures'mightbe taken 1 to obtain this ivhon the Borough was ' ripe for it. He hoped to say more , on this point at afnture meeting He - had been accused of being too hasty . and 100 anxious to increase taxation. ■ He would, however, point, out that ' they could not stand still and let ' other lesser towns pass them by, to ' their ultimate detriment, if atempor- , nry saving wore effected.'- : Leaving 1 tho water question for"a moment, t he would allude to

! THE GAS WORKS. He did not blame tho. Council for tho present state of the works, because they may have been misled, The great fault had been mistaken economy, employing one man to do the work of three or four, Mr Horou could bear him out in the fact that he had urged when Mayor, that extra.labor bo, employed, and ho was afraid that if Mr Heron were again returned, things would go on ns bofore. The works generally were in abad state. -If they wanted a Manager and to get outof the Gas Works difficulty they must either sell the Gas .Works or employ a. staff competent to carry but the ; business; of gas-making properly. Ho was personally in .favor of .'selling.-,; the!: Gas Works, nnd-he felt'confident that if no profit was mado there would bo no loss. When the Palmerston North Gas, Works;. were; ; sold,' the plant was nothing near the-value of! the Masterton plant,: and yet I Palmei'sbi'liadnodifHcnlty in'selling| to a limited company for £8,000. : If j they sold the Masterton Works, for I merely; the amount' 1 of indobtedncss they would then havo. the business out of their ,'hands,. aucl they could place restrictions' on the company. ( (Applause.). If, however, they could.- not sell the Gas Works, or did not care to, they then ought to omploy a manager at a higher salary than now given and let him bo manager. In his opinion if the present Council.were i . NOT BESPOKSIIII.E .' '

for the state of the Gas Works, they lind certainly not taken .proper measures to meet the difficulty. He was RJraicl that if Mr Hei-on were returned lib, would not be"prepared to take tbo bull by:the-homs,::iuid'.toko the necessary steps to put things on a proper basis. .Regarding the water scheme ; it was no use expecting a successful voto of the: ratepayers until the bug-bear of the Gas )Vorks \i : «s got'lid of, and then ho should bp prepared' to support a water scheme over a special rating area. Those who opposed him, might complain of the cost of tlio 1 engineering expenses in connection with tholast water, proposal, But it was heceßsiry to;takotiielevelsoftheßorougli, which- work had never/been done bofdro Mr King's /plan, so that tlio money was not wasted. Before leaving the matter he.might say that the question'ooff f water'had been before tlio Council,.and although'-he (as Mayor at had championed Mr Renall's Memo he had met with most,; determined ■■• and' found, that. to speak qf Mr Renail's scheme was' 'likoMioldihg out a red .rag tp a bull. Finding this so, after going anto the merits ofsoveral schenics.it had been decided to place the •Waingawa scheme bofore the ratepayers, and thus tkengineoring exponses had been incurred. Ho attributed the failure to cany the proposal to the fact that the outlying portions of; tlio Borough had been included, but he thought thatwhon the propor time came and a scheme ion! a-.'special rating, area basis was placed' before, theywould accept it (Applause). Another. matter jit/was in favor of was tbo taking over of X

I ///iwATfisnteg,-. and it'lyas an anomaly that roads, public fciujd private, ?hb'uid be side by! side without the Borough being able to spend apennyofmaintenance oniwbat ytem necessary- public i conveniences, He ~would' uso his best!. endeavoi's r ,:if /'roturnod,' ; td get.a Bill-drafted' toltoable thei Borough totakeover 1 useful 'private streets (applause.)' 1 The question of unpaid rates was anothorinatteriand anjnriplea'Bftnt piipj which'h'o .wished to Speak upon.; Some 200 ratepayers, jhelregretted, were disfranchiseaiat the,, present „time,:; and thought j tlif-Act foould'be'altered to 1 allow a viding liis' iates-wero 1 jpaiU at' any ■:■•,■■.':.■"■,.;■....-. ■.yla.fWn-fjiir-.T.vM- ..•. ■ v -.; ;^-'

deavoured w havedefaulters' put ■ pfcf | he 1 expected •'«,s; them all 'to voto\for him—but be-; : pause he thought. every ratepayer;. : f'[ ; si| should'liayea voice in all important :;- .i£s matters, such as elections. But there ':■,- was another aspect; ; He. thought: ■ •'■•;: ":'■s many who could pay had. neglected ; ■ ■■'• to do so, and wanted more rounding ' ;!'<'s?■ up.-. When he (Mr Pownall) wont ;■■ SX-. into office the rates inarream.were v ;- A K and whenhe \rent J on f t, only ;■: ;• about .£300,..'.. This last-year Sio'V'K; §. aiTearshadincreased about £4Oo,and ;:;■ : ; ; without .wishing to appear ; a"s:.a per?-"-,';■ wbuldfeaytliat'tteyinti^fe 1 ; i., - ; /;| jyork the Borough as any other com- • ;■ v * mercjaj concern, and "worry "those-. ■■-./'7 1 : alittle'morc who could-pay. (Ap- ,i ;; plau'se,). During his past terms of : office h,e had advocated and carried '; ■' '■}''. out many *'". .' ' : 'V.'. : v r :X"' ''STREET IMI'ROYEMBHTS,."..;,-.' !;i. ■;■-'• including .the.exitension^of'tho phalting;of Queen Street^wdthe : ; .Councilhad spent jn -his thre,e.years; of office, £2,000 on street improve- ]: Jk mentß. The Ngamatawa, Road ha'd' ■ been taken—after a.good deal'of '•'■\.'M delay—and aftor '' about £2O ari acre 'too mufltfw whibhhewasnotresponslblel&mn'g • yotcdagainst the payment-and lidw it was left ■idle ) 6n;a.fj(lse economy plea. Having i^aken..i.thoi-bad it should ;'at leasti';be fenced and ■'■':■ not left for Mr Perry or anyone „. else,' simply to graze: cattle upon..; He had been held Vecklessly : extravagant,;aud; ovd ;at his'first' ; election the same had 1 beon Btated. But facte proved otherwise, i'and ■ during rMs-.Administration;:; the Borough Overdraft had been sub- -. stantially reduced. Mr Heron, he; ■' ■ thought; was . noti- in favor of a sufficiently rigorous policy, ' and was . too" economical, for the Borough's welfare, Ho thoroughly respected Mr Heron and the,. position was exactly this," if they elected Mr Heron it would show they approved his policy, and if they . elected himself (Mr Pownall) they ' would prove tho converse, and that, ; they wished to see progress made;<> Ho had loft allusion to ■ Mu Hornblow till the last -his proper place. He dul not know why Mr Hornblow was 1 so anxious to leave the Council or to pitch-fork himself into the Mayoral' [ chair. It would also havo been ' better taste if Mr Hornblow had in ; ' tho present contest used fess ! andgeneralcheek.- He liked an elec : .'. . tion conducted in a fair and gentlo- [ manly manner, Mr Hornblow | had been careful to make "his. , statements when ho (Mr Pownall) '■'■ ' was not present, but to give.'.' > him an opportunity of saying " anything ho had to say, he would s invite Mr Hornblow to be present at■ <: 1 his next meeting, tho night before'' 1 the election, when Mr HornbloWj" ' cpnld say anything he had ;to say - 3 either before or after himself, : On' 3 that occasion he (Mr Pownall) would' ' liavemorotosayregardingMrHqrn-' ; ' blow's actions, and in making, his,, , present remarks'lij only did. so.be- .• caußeMrHoniblowwasrushingabout - 3 in private, betting hats and making " mis-statements which he would not 'do in public, Another occasion '• of addressing tho ratepayers would . givo him (the speaker) ahopportun- _ itypf going more into.dctails a.; i l ' number of questions, and ho would thorefore say that if the burgesses > >■ • approved of his policy, and the elec--1 tion was to bo

' | THE'BEST JIAX .'. "■ ; r for the position' on a question pf;, policy, and without taking into cpn.-i,- . siderotion button-liplhig and to houso canvas, bo was vain to think > that the ratepayers^'' would return him at the hoad of the '.' poll; (Applause.) : ; "■ ' '" ' ■"' QUESTIONS. '''''■,'' '. Questions being invited, Mr Po'w; ' nail, in reply to Mr KenalJ, Baid ,tbat ; the Bill which;providedlOper-cent,.:-.' should bo added to overdue.rates, < had been slaughtered amongst the " innocents,!' . _ iMr. Renall asked, if Mr Heron intended to address the burgesses. ;Mr Heron Baid be might havo a few words to say on a futnro occas* ion, but tho present was Mr Pownail's! ineoting. ;".' • iMVCullen said lie should liko to correct an error in Mr Pownall's speech. The Palmorston Gas Works were never the aotkal property of tho Borough, but were built by a- • syndicato on Borough property, with. • tho viow of tho Borough taking ovor the works, which they never did, He did not think that the Masterton Borough could soil its Gas Works.. | Mr'Pownail said that ho might be" slightly in error, and if the Palmer-' stim Borough sold tho Gas Works in conjunction with a syndicate it did not make any difference. The'fact was that a piice had been obtained, • and it was merely aquestion of buying and soiling. In replyJo.MivE, DarleyjjMr Pownall said ho fully 'recognised' tho trouble with tho Town creek, but • they could not keep it clean unless ■ they had a supply of water;,', • Mrjßenall, amidst sonio laughtery „ mado; some romarks on his water ' scheme, and accused somebody of • knocking tho bottom out of his cul■vofts., .

' Mr Pony asked Mr Pownalhvhat he had done to prove himself fit for the position of' Mayor, before Mb first election.

Mr t Pownall replied that witkott unduly arrogating:, himself, he was •. '• • forced to, say .that although, he had)' never sat in' iho Borough Odiiricil si 1 that time, he possessed a few brains/'' and in returning him the'ratcpSjjjjL evidently thought so. W^ No other tho meeting closed 1 wittjlie usual votq of thanks to the ohair,. ; , ■. ■■ ,..., ,' ] <'