PETONE MAYORALTY

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 169, 5 April 1923, Page 4

PETONE MAYORALTY

MR. J. W. McEWAN CONSENTS TO NOMINATION

A meeting of a number of I’etone citizens, convened by Mr. J-, Piper, was held on Tuesday evening in the Municipal Buildings to present to Mr. J. W. McEwan, tho Mayor, the following petition, asking him to consent to be nominated for the office for a further term: — “We, the undersigned electors of the borough of Petone, believe that npver in the history of the borough was the need of experienced, and careful leadership demanded that will be the case during the ensuing term. We therefore respectfully ask that. you will allow yourself to be nominated for a further term of -office as Mayor. In recognition of your record of many years of service, wo feel that, beyond a simple statement of wha£ you consider the best policy, the borough should adopt to meet the condition ot to-day, wo have no right to expect you to enter into the turmoil of a tontested election. Should you see your way clear to grant this favour, y. e hereby pledge ourselves to do all in our power to secure your return. . Mr- Piper said that a few citizens who had been concerned for the welfare of the town had been discussing the question of candidates for the Mayoralty, had interview several who might have been ambitions for office, and who would have been acceptable, but no one would “take the job on. •Mr. McEwan, because of his past great service, was worthy of all the honour the people could do him, but they had been unwilling to press “the willing horse.” However, the next two years would probably bo the most serious the borough had yet faced, and it would be wise to have an experienced man at. the head of affairs. The period was unique, as never before had the borough had such a sum of money at its disposal, and the spending of the money realised from the *sale of the gasworks would need a careful man as Mavor, and one who knew the ms. and outs of the borough as Mr.' McEwan did. Seventy-five per cent of the business men had signed. . Mr. McEwan, who was received with applause, said that ouite apart fr oP ) the petition he had. been approached, by numerous persons to consent to stand, and had come to the conclusion the desire was general, and in consequence had already made up his mind to stand. (Applause.) There were great questions before the people tor consideration, one of the principal being the question of amalgamation, and in°such a consideration a Mayor of experience was necessary. There was also the spending of the money from the sale of tho gasworks. Fifteen years ago the gasworks had been a losing concern, but when sold the loss . was not only wiped out, but a profit of £29,000 shown. This had been accomplished during his term as Mayor. Besides this profit the £l5OO spent on the sea wall had come out of the gasworks fund. The present siiggestion was that the money for dealing with the drainage of the western hills water should be taken from this fund, that all the reads in tha borough, should bo tar-sealed, which would mean , a reduction in the maintenance costs by 7o per cent., and that improvements to the seafront should be carried out. This would still leave a balance of '£lB,ooo out of the money received for the gasworks, and the interest on this at 5J per cent, would materially as- , sist in reducing the.rates, which were admittedly high, owing to the important work of efficiently sewering the town having been carried out during the war period. In looking back over his sixteen years .of office, he could see wonderful improvements in the town. Jackson, Street had been given .a permanent surface, the sanitary service had been revolutionised, the recreation ground purchased, tho seafront improved, and the water service reticulation more than trebled. The work of improving the water supply was now well •in band. He was ’prepared to give his host for the district, which had a great future before it. With. amalamation looming ahead this might "be the last occasion in which they would be called on to elect a Mayor for the little borough of Petone. .