DUTIES OF A MAYOR.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14343, 1 May 1912, Page 10

DUTIES OF A MAYOR.

I * i j WHAT MR DOUGALL SAYS. |

To-day tho Mayoralty of Christohtircb will pass from Mr J. *JDougali to Mr H. Holland. Mr Dougnll has held office for the pa- st nine months, and lias made himself thoroughly acquainted with wb.tt falls to tho lot of a Christchurch Mayor. An interesting statement on the matter was made hy him to a "Press" representative yesterday. "The duties of Mayor," said Mr Dougali, "are considerably more onerous than most people imagine. Ho is expected not merely to be tho chief administrative officer of the city, but ho has very often to respond to all manner of complaints, and in addition to chat he is expected to attend meetings without number, and to subscribo to every institution and. club that thinks fit to make a call upon him. "Tho administrative work will keep on increasing, and it must of necessity demand very considerable attention from whoever occupies the Mayoral chair. The excellent s,taff that tho city • possesses at the present time considerably lightens the work of tho Mayor, but no_ matter bow efficient tho staff may be, it will always bo incumbent upon the Mayor to exerciso some personal influence upon tho affairs of tho city. "There aro opportunities for the Mayor to dispense hospitality as the head of the city, but under existing conditions he has always to go outside the municipal buildings. It is quite impossible for any Mayor to entertain in a dignified manner any visitor to tho city in tho present municipal buildings. Perhaps one of the most pleasing functions that fall to a Mayor's lot is meeting with the many distinguished visitors who pass through the city. During my period of office there havo been quite- a number of distinguished visitors, and in the immediato future wo shall have Sir Win. BadenPowell and other eminent men. "In the matter of the general office work, the outside public has little idea of tho enormous mass of correspondence that hn.s to bo dealt with. Although a pood deal of this is routine, a considerable quantity consists of complaints from ratepayers. These complaints may be moro or less justified, but in every instance they require consideration and reply. The committee work of tho Council makes a great demand upon tho time of tho councillors. The Mayor is .ex-officio a member of every committee, but jf ho happens to have any business of his own to attend to, it would be quite impossible for him to look after that and attend to committee business as well. "There is one point on which I think the citizens might be more merciful in the . future than they havo been in the, past, and that is in the- requests for tho May.,i - to preside at annual and other ine>;litigs of different organisations. I do not say that it is not part of tho Mayor's duty to do that, but when the Mayor happens to bo a business man, it is an extraordinary call which, added to the ordinary routine of work, leaves him littlo time for-his own affairs. , "I should like to say that during my term of office I have received tho greatest kindness on all hands. I havo found the Council's staff not only civil and courteous, but exceedingly capable in tlio management of tho city business. Naturally, I feel eomo regret at having to • leave the _ chair just at the time when I was beginning to appreciate the duties appertaining to it. I hope that the future of Christchurch may be even mor'o progressive than it has been in tho past"