MAYORAL INSTALLATIONS.

• ' CHRISTCHURCH.

9 The annual meeting of the City Council Has held at noon yesterday. Present— His .Worship the Mayor (presiding), Crs. Vincent, Louiason, Manning, Tait, GiinGray, Crooks, Kiver and Bowman. 1 The business before the meeting was the BEfaUaiion o£__r Aaron Ay era as Mayor of for the ensuing year. v TheMatobthen calleduponthe Mayor Elect to mate the usual declaiation. - Mr Ayers having done so and signed the

samb, , I His Wokship in-tilled Mr Ayers, and I . placed the chain round his neck. In doing I so he -aid he desired to be allowed to con _j gratulate the new Mayor, and to wish him -■■ a pleasant and prosperous year of office—- *j pleasant to himself and prosperous to the | ratepayers. From his .experience of tbe | Mayor in municipal affairs, and witb the * I aaaiatance of the members composing the g Council and the city officers, he felt assured g it would prove so. To be placed m his | present position wa3, in the opinion of P himself, one of the greatest honors that § the citizens could pay any one. E But attached to that honor were also con- f siderable duties and responsibilities. To f some extent the comfort and convenience ■ ot4ibe citizens, and the good name of the X city, would be in the hands o? the Mayor ■ during bis term of office, and he also I would find that a large portion of his time 1 aud attention would be required to properly I perform the duties ot his office to the satis- a faction of the ratepayers and of the J Council. It would be impossible to please J all parties, but, speaking from experience, 4 he (the retiring Mayor) felt certain that if -j the actions of his successor were in the , I interest of those whom he represented, he J ) would be well supported, not only by the 1 ! members of tbe Council, but also by the I i public and tbe Press. During the past « ' few years Borne improvements had been j • made in the city, and necessary works ' undertaken, which would prove of ultimate ' advantage to the citizens, and facilitate the 'i more economical carrying on of the busi- [ ness of the city, but a great deal yet re- | mained to be done if we wished to make I Christchurch. a desirable place of resif dence—much of which, he believed, could ibe performed without increasing our I liabilities or raising the rates. He would | not longer detain those present, as they I had dut cs calling them els9where, but I would coi _ude as he had commenced, not 1 only for tl c sake of the Mayor, but for the £ honour am welfare of the city, by merely Wishing his Worship a pleasant and prosperous year of office. [Applause.] His Worship the newly-installed Matob, who was received with applause on rising, said he desired to thank the retiring Mayor for the kindly manner in which he had spoken, and for his wish that he might have a pleasant year of office. His preI viouß experience aa a Councillor had given 4 him not only the knowledge of the duties ■5 he had to perform, but also of the gentlePi { men with whom he had to work as mem--3 .bers of the Council, he having had the » ihonour of Bitting with the majority of 1 .them for some time. He felt sure he 1 .should receive from them during his period B ! of office that amount of countenance and -** support which would very much lighten fi the dutieß of the office. [Applause.] '4 At the same time he entered !iipon those dutieß and responsibilities with some amount of diffidence, as although he had not before had the honour of occupying that chair, he had sat as a Councillor for a number of years, and, ti-erefore, he was fully aware of what they i really were. He did nob for one moment fe expect that he would be enabled to dist charge the duties as ably as hia predef. cessor, but he would promiee this, that he I-, would endeavor, to the best of his ability, to M do his duty, and to devote his time, or that !f portion of it which he sould spare to the interests of the citizens. [Hear, hear.] He was afraid he should not be able to i carry out such a progressive policy with • regard to municipal matters as bis prede- ; I oessor had been able to' do, because that • j gentleman had been fortunate enough to • I be enabled to expend more money than he

nj ■■« ■■■■■■■■ ■ nil ft yjn»» ill ui.i»| and they aU knew that very little could be done without money. But while this was so he was sanguine that there was arising throughout the country a more hopeful disposition, and that they would see in the colony geheraUy and not;confined to Christchurch alone at no distent date, the inauguration of a more progressive policy generaUy—[Hear, hear] —and that this would enable works ot a progressive character to be carried out. [Hear, hear]. Christehurch could not afford to be leit behind in the race as one of the moat important cities of the colony, but must make an effort to take her proper place, and he could promise for himself that he should always be found ready to inaugurate or support a policy of progression so far as the means placed at his disposal by the citizens and the CouncU would allow. At another meeting of the CouncU he would be prepared to toy before them his proposals as to what should be done to the future. He had thought of doing it that day, but seeing that their meeting was of purely a formal nature, he had decided on making a statement at the ordinary business meeting of the Council. He once more thanked the retiring Mayor for the kindly expressions he had made use of. He might announce that the retiring Mayor had addei his link to the Mayoral chair. [Hear, hear.] This would, conclude the formal business, but he hoped, ■those present would remain for a teas [moments to honor one or two toaste oi Lthat auspicious occasion. a f The Council then adjourned. 1 [. At the invitation of the newly-installeg (Mayor a number of gentlemen, [several ex-Mayors and Councillors, thefl [partook of some refreshment. ThefoUowjr ;ing toasts were given and duly honored! iviz.:—''The newly-installed Mayor," " The retiring Mayor," " Ex-Mayors and Count icUlors," "The City CouncU and Citj Officers," " The Press," &o. .