CHRISTCHURCH.

This Dat. In pursuance of the provisions of the Act, tho members of tho City Council met at ten o'clock this- morning, for tho purpose of bringing themselves under tho operation of the Municipal Corporations Act. Thero were prosent Messrs W. Wilson, Jameson, Tombs, Uuddenklau, Thomson, Sheppard, Anderson, and Calvert. Thcic were only two ratepayers present. Mr An icrson waa moved to the chair. The declaration having been made by members, in accordance with the Act, the election of alayor waa noxt proceeded with. Mr Gordon read tho proclamation by his Excellency the Governor, published in the General Government Gasette. Mr Anderson —lt now devolves upon us to exercise our privilege in choosing one from our own number, or ono outsido of our own number, as the case maybe, to fill tho oilice of Mayor of tho borough, It is unnecessary that I should say anything on tho subject, further than to ask one of you to nominate a gentleman to All that important office. Air Thomson—Mr Chairman and Gentlemen, I rise with very great pleasure to proposo to you a gentleman well qualified to occupy the important and honourable position of Mayor for the borough of Christchurch. and in doing so, I may be allowed briefly to advert to the circumstances under which we havo met this morning. You are all aware that on n certain petition, signed by a largo number of tlic citizens of Christchurch, the town has been proclaimed a borough under the Act passed iv tho last session of the General Assembly, and tbis proclamation has appeared in tho Gazette which I now have before mc, dated tho 2nd Juno, whero it Is stated that the Council, as it originally existed, is to como under the operation of the new Act from the date of the proclamation; and the Act which we aro now called upon to put in forco distinctly stipulates thnt wo Bhould meet this morning, for tho purpose of electing a Major. That is our first duty. This election is not to be considered as an ordinary one > As year succeeds year, tho Council will bo called upon to elect a gentleman to fill that very important position, and, of course, the first may always bo considered aa having had the greatest honour done him. The gentleman upon whom our ohoice will full this day will havo tho additional honour and privilege of knowing that, in being elected ns Mayor of Christchurch, ho is elected as Mayor of the principal borough in Canterbury. I think it is a position of which ovory burgess might well bo proud. I can well imagine that the gentleman whom we elect to-day, when in after years bo retires from public business, and surrounded by a family, some of whom may be on the point of commencing in tho world, would consider, with very great pride and satisfaction, the privilege of telling them that ho hail been elected first Mayor of the borough of Christchurch j and I am sure that nothing could be a greater incentive to those nbout to shift for themselves nnd commence in the world than to scv v, by thoir father's example, that with industry and perseverance, they might in all probability rata themselves to a similar position of honour in the world. It is necessary that we should make a good selection i and although tho Aut enables us to go outside, I think that on thlsjoccaslon it is quite unnecessary to do so. There are 'several requisites that any gentleman aspiring to tbis office should possess. I think he should bo activo and energetic i that ho should .be possessed of good, sound common sense; that he should have a good social position in the borough, and that he should be easy and comfortable in circumstances, and able to devote a considerable portion of liis timo to the in* terctte aad welfwrcof the burgesses, (Cheers.)

I may sny, gentlemen, that the gontlemiln ; whom I havo the honour of proposing Is Mit, ' William Wilson, lato chairman of oui" lato Municipal Council. I may safely afllnn ihat there are fow in Chrintchuruh who uro better and moro wldoly known than that gentleman Ilohns represented tho citizens In a former Council tvllh satisfaction, I think, to himself, and benefit, to the city gonornlly. (Hear, hear.) And I may also affirm that tliat gontlomim ' poßScasos nil tho qualifications i iiaro oiitimoratcd to a very great extent, I think it •will ho borne out that he Is very active j that ho Is engaged In a vory largo and prosperous business in town) that ho is possessed of a { front amount of common sonso, and that he n remarkably easy iv his circumstances, which Is a very necessary thing Indeed, You arc aware that a« < halrman of the City Council ho lm« dovoted n vory ooiiflidornbhportion or his limo to tho welfare of tho cltyi nnd I think that If we elect liltu to the still more honourable position of Mayor, we may expect oven mora from him In tho interests and welfare of the borough. I think--— ln faut I had almost snid— that Mr Wilson has n prior claim i I will Buy that at least ho has a fair claim to tho position, from the fact thnt, in January last, the Council did him the honour of electing him rh their Chairman for twclvo months, and had not tho Municipal Corporations Act oomo into operation, ho would havo been our Chairman still, That ground constitutes a very fair claim. There is another thing which goes in his favour. Wo are not all gifted with cloqiioncoi but wo all know that on occasions when tho interests of tho city were at stake-- when, for example, wd'had his Excellency Iho Governor down here— Mr Wilson acquitted hlmsolf with satisfaction to this Counoil, and the citizens generally. I consider thnt noxt to being Mayor, I tako great honour in boing pormit* ted to propose that gentleman, and I trust tho honour wo arc now about to do him will bo upon a unanimous vote, J am cue of tlioso wlio will retire in September next, nnd will nob probably present mynolf for ro'oleotion, an 1 may possibly not bo In Chrlstohuroh, Hut wherever I may be, I will have tho pleasure of knowing that I wns Instrumontai in proposing a gontloman as Mayor, whom I am Bure in tliat capacity will acquit himself In a Tory satisfactory manner, In conclusion, I have very great pleasure In proposing Mr William Wilson an Mayor of tho Borough of Chrlstchuroh, Mr Tombs t I havo great pleasure in -seconding tha nomination of Mr William Wilson ns Mayor of the borough of Christchurch, I can fully endorse all that Mr Thomson has said in proposing Mr Wilson, having known him ns long almost ns nny por eon in Christchurch, Therefore I need not say anything more than Mr Thomson hns said, Mr Wilson's merits arc well known, and ho Is well known to ourselves, I have Tery great pleasure in seconding his nomination. Mr Andkiibon j Has any othor mombor of this Counoil any other gentleman to propose P Mr Jam i.hon ; 1 think it Is woll that on au occasion of this kind wo should endeavour to bo ns unnnimous as possihlo in nny slop wo arc to tako, (Hoar, hear,) In Inst January, when Mr Wilson ,was. elected chairman, I Stated' my views that when a vacancy occurred at tho end of the torm, it should ho (Iliad up by new blood, nnd I hopo that such will ho tho caso in* respect lo tho Mayoralty, as it would not be fair that any one gontloman ' should fill the ofllco for any term of years, (Hoar; hear.) Mr Andorson ; An no mombor hns any oandidato to propose, I will put the resolution no follows!-" That Mr William Wilson bo elected Mayor for the borough of Chrlstehwrch, proposed hy Mr Councillor Thomson, and seconded by Mr Councillor Tombs." In it your pleasure, gentlemen, that this resolution bo passed V (.Ayo,) I hnvo vory gront plousuro In announcing to you, Mr Mftycr, that jou have boon elected lo that distinguished 011100 by iho unnnimous voto of , this Council j a position, whioli hns boon referred to by your proposer and seconder as -'■■■ ono which any burgess might well ho proud of, and -which, no doubt, you yourself appro- , elate, I .can only sny that 1 very heartily ■concur in your clontlon tn this distinguished :*". ofllco. and trust that you will ho npnnd with 1 'health to do your duties ns energetically ns you have discharged them on former occasions, I havo vory great pleasure in vacating tho ohair to you. > The Mayoh was loudly applauded on taking tho ohair, On two previous occasions, tlio Council had dono him tho honour of electing him chairman, au ofllco which ho felt proud to occupy, but that feeling of prldo and grutl- ; tudo was greatly enhanced by thoir electing j, him first Mayor of tho city of Christ- ."-, ohuroh, a position which ho was moro than C proud to hold. Ho fully concurred In ► tho remarks made by his proposer aud >. seconder as tn tlio honour of the position. Uo .2oul(l' t assure thorn that thu same diligence nnd 1 energy which he had hitherto displayed, l. according to his proposer and seconder, would \ ho brought to bear In discharging tlio duties that would devolve upon him in this now and important position, (Applause), Ho hnd hnd tho gratifloiitlon of being surrounded by n Tory excellent, Intelligent, liurd-working, and industrious Council, and ho had never failed, [■ when occasion presented Itself, to express this opinion of tho gontlcmon by whom, he was surrounded, that ho should havo been unable to effoot much good if lie had not hnd their counsel and assistance, it was a vory satisfactory thing to know that never had a ; mcctlng lapsed through the want of a j', quorum, and that there wore vory fow occnI j • olons on which all members woro not present, I I (Hear, hour), On occasions liko this, it ofton V happened that a person could not express 1 • aU lie desired, and he hoped they would for- | give him If ho did not hiy all which tho ( occasion justified. Ho could moroly say that } hownpvory proud of the posh ion of boing | eleoted to the position of Mayor, after a i residence of seventeen years in Christchurch, j He might say, boforo sitting down, that | lie entirely concurred in tho remarks mado [i fry Mr Jameson, j_lonovor solicited tho po* 1

dition of chairman of tho CUy Counoil, nor that higher ono of Mayor. Ho thought inombors well know that ho had not solicited a singlo Vote' froni any of thorn, Ho thought hoounht to intimate that he entirely concurred In tho remark that It would ho unfair aiid unjust to other members of Council if one person wore to coritihuo to' monopolise thu position of Mayor for a number of yearn, Perhaps It would ho his duty, when his term oi! odlco oxplr.d lv December, to nflloyd another 'gentleman thoprlvilogo of boing his successor. Ho did not know that ho hud now nnythihg'moru todothnn toroitcratolils'lhnnks, and to toll thorn how grateful ho was for tho honour thoy hud dono him, It would ho his constant doHlro tb maintain the sumo fooling of uiiiinlmjty and of respeot for ouch other that had hitherto been tho charnotorlstlqoi the Council.' Thoy had worked together \y lib Ihe greatest unanimity for 'tho publio good, and everyone of thorn entertained feci. Ings of respect for onoh other, which ho hoped, would bo maintained in tho future, (Applnuflii,)" The ordinary business of tho Council was then proceeded with.