Evening Post. THURSDAY, MAY 22, 1879. THE MAYORALTY ELECTION.

Evening Post, Volume XVII, Issue 516, 22 May 1879, Page 2

Evening Post. THURSDAY, MAY 22, 1879. THE MAYORALTY ELECTION.

Both the candidates for the Mayoralty of this city have now made their profession of faith before the electors. The contrast between the two speeches is very remarkable. Mr. Hunter showed a thorough knowledge of principal matters, which he discussed as a practical, clear-headed man of business would discuss such subjects, expressing his views with the most outspoken frankness, whether they might be popular or unpopular, and displayed marked cofWesy and moderation towards his opponent? Very different is the course adopted by Mr. Hutchison and his party. From them we have nothing but reckless misstatements, gross perversion of fact, coarse personal attacks, and insidious attempts to set class against class by servile appeals to the "working men," who are a great deal too shrewd not to see very easily through all that hnmbug, and to perceive plainly the attempt which is being made by Mr. Hutchison to use them as tools and stepping-stones towards the attainment of his own ends. We have accused Mr. Hutchison of making reckless misstatements of fact and we will proceed to convict him out of his own mouth. Mr. Hutchison, last night, stated that only £3713 of the drainage Loan had been expended under his direction when Mayor, and he adduced the following figures to prove this : — Amount of Drainage Loan, £50,000 ; balance unexpended when he went out of office, £46,287 ; leaving £3713 as the expenditure, But Mr. Hutchison omits to account for the additional sum of £9900 which, as he very well knows, was at the credit of the Drainage Fund at that time, making ita total amount £59,900. Consequently, on his own showing and admission, that being the sum available for expenditure, and £46,287 being all that was left when he ceased to be Mayor, as he concedes that the difference between the two was the actual sum expended under his direction, we now find that to be £13,613— n0t £3713 as he untruly asserted. This is a fair specimen of Mr. Hutchison's "facts," and those "working men " whom lie is always using as a " stalking horse," and on whom he fawns with such abject servility, will be able to judge for themselves what reliance is to be placed on any of his statements. Mr. Hutchison's organ complains that we "do not state openly what we accuse Mr. Hutchison of." We have stated it many times most openly and distinctly, but we will do so again. We accuse Mr. Hutchison of illegally paying away, while he was Mayor, a large Bum of public money to a certain contractor; of neglecting, while Mayor, to pay bis own rates(although the law was put in force nnder his authority against many "poor working men" who did not pay in due time), and then, when he found that he had thus disfranchised himself, of causing the public records to be tampered with and falsified in an abortive attempt to escape this consequence of shirking his share of the general liability to contribute towards the expenses of the city. We might add bis constant obstrnctiveness to the City Council, his persistent " meddling and muddling" in all the municipal departments, to the great hindrance of business and prejudice of the public interest. We could enlarge on these and other matters were it necessary, and may do bo yet before polling day ; but the actions on his part which we have distinctly specified are in themselves more than sufficient, undenied as they are by Mr. Hutchison, to exclude him for ever from any position of public trust. We bringing no " rail accusation" against him; we have no doubt that in private life he is a worthy and estimable man, but we do maintain that his conduct in these matters showed that he is totally unfitted for the office he now seeks at the hands of the ratepayers. Let the laboring classes of Wellington, who find the presenttimessohard, remember that but for Mr. Hutchison's officious meddling and obstruction the Te Aro Reclamation now would be proceeding ; that he has been very active in getting the City Drainage "hung up" indefinitely; that he always opposed and gave both his deliberative and casting vote against the Polhill Gully road from Te Aro to Karori ; that he now expresses himself as adverse to the proposed Wainuiomata Water Supply scheme, all of which, if carried out, would have made and would make employment plentiful ' and wages good, besides immensely improving the city, enhancing the value of property, andiightening the public burdens. I<et the working men of Wellington ponder well the fact that they are indebted to Mr. Hutchison for tho postponement or

1 shelving of these important and profitable works, which had they been going on just now would have done bo much to alleviate the present distress. Qa the other hand Mr. Hunter has consistently supported and advocated all these works to the ntmoßt of his ability, and has the power of doing bo all the more effectually as he is an independent member of Parliament for the city. It 1b noteworthy that the only f aulta Mr. Hutchison- and. his organ can find with Mr. Hunter ia that he is " respectable," that he has " grey hair " and a "tottering gait." As we have remarked on another occasion it is a new thing to find respectability held up as an objection to a candidate. We should imagine that it would be for the public interest to have a Mayor who ia too "respectable," let us aay for instance, to procure the falsification of public records for his personal gain. But do Mr. Hutchison's supporters mean to say that their candidate is not "respectable ?" Certainly if he be responsible for the coarse abuse, the brutal jeers at bodily infirmities, which disgrace his organ, and by not disclaiming he practically adopts, and tacitly approves it, it might be difiicult to challenge the justice of such an estimate.

Mr. Hunter will address the electors at the Princess Hotel, Moleaworth-street, this evening, at 8 o'clock. Mr. Hutchison's organ rashly argues that Mr. Hunter when he " fought with tooth and nail for the preservation of Provincialism," was "upholding the principles of the most stupid and fanatical high toryism." This is rather a "left-handed compliment" to the present Ministry— especially to Sir George Grey, Mr. Sheehan, Mr. Stout, and Mr. Macandrew, who all, like Mr. Hunter, " fought tooth and nail for the preservation of Provincialism," and who are known still to be staunch Provincialists. Are the Premier and the " Liberal party " then " upholding the principles of the most stupid and fanatical high toryism," as their organ, which is also that of Mr. Hutchison asserts ? How are these contradictions to be reconciled ? Perhaps Mr. Hutchison will explain. A somewhat singular argument in favor of Mr. Hutchison was brought forward last night by Mr. Crook (who, by the way, made an otherwise very intelligent speech). The speaker observed that the disadvantage of having a rich man as Mayor was that it took more to bribe him. Where a journeyman carpenter would be satisfied with 80s, a merchant would require £30. He thought, therefore, taking the very low ground of the opposition, it would be far cheaper to have Mr. Hutchison as Mayor than Mr. Hunter. This is paying a very doubtful compliment to Mr. Hutchison, to say the least of it. A carpenter named Charles Bushman, while working at a house in Willis-street this afternoon, had an epileptic fit. As he seemed to be very bad Dr. Kesteven was sent for, and on his arrival he recommended that the man should be removed to the Hospital. Bushman had a similar fit at an earlier hour this morning. To-day being the festival of our Lord's ascension, commonly called Ascension Day, or Holy Thursday, divine service was held in tho various Churches in this city, both morning and evening. A special full choral service will be held at St. Mark's Church, Sussex Square, this evening, it being Ascension Day. The offertory will be devoted to tho Church organ fund. We are requested to draw the attention of members of the Choral Society to the notification in our advertising columns, that there will be tbe usual practice at tbe Athenaeum this evening at 8 o'clock. A full attendance is particularly desired. The Inspector of Nuisances will have a field day at the R. M. Court on Tuesday next. No fewer than thirty summonses have been taken out by him against various persons for breaches of the city by-laws. Mr. H. S. Fitzherbert, Revising Officer, held a Revision Court for the Wellington Country District at the Athenaeum to-day. An effort is being made to have Marton constituted a Municipality. Mr. George Thomas held a sale of milch cows and other live stock on Tuesday, the 20 th, at Karon, on account of Messrs. William and Thomas Campbell, who are retiring from business. There was a large attendance, and the biddings were very spirited. Cows fetched from £7 to £12 10s each. The phonograph attracted a number of people to the Athenaeum last night, when the experiments were somewhat more successful. In addition to the cases which we published yesterday as having been heard in the Resident Magistrate's Court, the following were disposed of:— Russell v. Filder, claim £11, judgment was given for plaintiff; Schwabe v. Pascoe, claim £19 16s, judgment far plaintiff. In the case of Bohan v. Jay and Roberts, plaintiff claimed £35 for a vehicle supplied to them by him. Since the vehicle was supplied, however, the firm had dissolved partnership. Judgment was given for the plaintiff for £13 Is 2d, Jay and Roberts being ordered to pay £5 163 3d, and Roberts alone £7 4s lid. In inquiry into the stranding of the schooner Colleen Bawn, off the Otaki bar, was held at the Custom House yesterday afternoon. Andrew Lillyband, master of the vessel, stated that on the 23rd ult., the schooner being loaded with pig iron, made a start to go out. Mr. Jenkins, acting-pilot, was on board They got as far as the entrance of the river, when the wind shifted more to the southward. They tried to get back again, but in doing so struck the bank. They tried to heave her off at high water, but the anchors came home. After discharging cargo, got the vessel well up on the bank. She was ultimately taken over by the insurance companies. The vessel was very little damaged, and could be launched without much difficulty. The value oi the vessel was about £200, and she was insured in the National office for that amount. The crew, consisting of two seamen, still remain at Otaki. [The Colleen Bawn has since been launched by Mr. Boonstra, and will come down to Wellington first opportunity.] The Star of Wellington Lodge, 1.0. G.T. will meet this evening at thier lodge room, Athenaeum, at 7.30. Mr. William Haynea, gardener, of the Hutt, called at our office this morning and showed us some strawberries which he has grown in his garden. Considering the season the fruit is oi fine quality, and looks exceedingly nice. The fact that strawberries can be grown now at the Hutt proves that our climate must be a mild one. The diorama of the Russo-Turkish war which will be exhibited at the Theatre Royal for the last time on Saturday night next, is deserving of more than a mere passing notice. The pictures are well painted, and as the war occurred so recently they are of course exceedingly interesting. The lecturer, Mr. H. Stanley, explains the various scenes in a very interesting manner, and at intervals sings various patriotic songs. He has a good voice, and is always listened to attentively. Nearly every remarkable event which occurred during the war is depicted on canvas, and it is not too much to say that the artist has done his work well. The diorama is instructive as well as amusing, and is well worth a visit. It is notified in our advertising columns that the drapers of the city will observe Monday, the 26th instant as a holiday, as Saturday, the Queen's Birthday, could not be conveniently kept. Mr. Vines will lecture at the Theatre, in Tory-street, this evening, on "The Second Coming of Christ." An advertisement in another column supplies particulars. The case of Henderson v. the Napier Harbor Board, was continued in the Supremo Court to-day. The case was proceeding when we went to press. " Back from the Grave" was again successfully performed at the Imperial Opera House last night, in the presence of a very large number of persons. The drama will be withdrawn on Monday next, in order that the scenery used in the piece may be forwarded to Christchurch. "Back from the Grave" will be repeated to-night. It has frequently struck those uninitiated in the mjsteries of the law as somewhat incongruous (remarks the Otago Daily Times of Tuesday; to convict a defendant and then discharge him. At the City Police Court yesterday, after the hearing of a charge of drunkenness against a man, who was " convicted and discharged," Mr. G. K. Tnrton, solicitor, raised the question of the legality of the decision. He contended that the Court could not both convict and discharge the defendant. Mr. Watt, the presiding magistrate, said he did ,oot see that Mr. Turton could raise the point at that moment. The case had been dismissed, and Mr. Turton was therefore out of Court. Mr. Turton persisted, He said, "I repeat, under protest, that you can't convict a man and then discharge him." Mr. Watt — " You are out of Court, I tell you." Mr. Turton—" Well, that is all I want to say at present j I shall bring the matter up again at some future time." He then left tbe Court. A musical and literary entertainment was given at the Primitive Methodist Church, Webb-street, last night, in aid of the Trust Fund. There wa9 a good attendance, and the entertainment was in every respect a great success. It will be noticed that at his meeting last night Mr. Hunter distinctly stated that he would advocate having the plant, <fee, for the city drainage scheme constructed in Wellington if it could be done with fair efficiency and economy. Mr. Hunter said, very reasonably, that he "did not see why the drain pipes could not be made in Wellington as they are in other parts of the colony." That is precisely what we pointed out some time ago, when some pipes were landed from Auckland equal in every wav to the best Home manufacture. Let our local , makers turn their attention to producing good ' pipes of glazed stoueware and there will be no need to talk about sending elsewhere for the*.

A rather absurd fuss has been made by a morainglcontemporary about the rejection of some voting claims by the Revising Officer at the Revision Court yesterday. Our contemporary has managed ingeniously to miss the whole point of the affair. Only about half a dozen persona altogether are struck off, the Revising Officer having exercised his authority under the section of the Act of 1866 (which our contemporary ignores entirely, although the whole matter, turns on it), and has supplied wherever practicable the particulars required by law but omitted from the lists sent in by the municipal authorities. We are glad to learn that all the wholesale mercantile houses in Wellington and most of the leading retail establishments have agreed to close on Monday next. The Acting-Mayor should isßue a proclamation inviting all the the citizens to keep the day a holiday, and we have no doubt this would- be acted on quite as generally (with the single exception of the Banks) as if the day were proclaimed a Bank holiday under the Act. No time ought to be lost in doing this. A meeting will be held in the Primitive Methodist schoolroom at 7.30 p.m. this evening for the purpose of instituting the Olive Branch Lodge of 1.0 G.T. The G.W.C.T. having arrived from Dunedin will conduct the ceremony. We notice that Mr. Barry O'Neil, a comic singer of some repute, is to appear for one night only at the Athenaeum Hall on Monday n^xt. A strong programme will be submitted nn the occasion, including Mr. O'Neil's lightning changes. At the Resident Magistrate's Court to-day the following civil cases were heard by Dr. Diver and Mr. J. Or. Holdsworeh, J.P.s, judgment being given for plaintiff in each : — Laery and Another v. Lord, £1 7s 3d; and Williams v. Brandon, £2 2s 6d. Yesterday afternoon as one of Mr Gear's men was driving round Oriental Bay, he noticed a man lying on his back near the water, with his head almost buried in the sand. On closer inspection the man seemed to be in a fit. With the assistance of a passerby he was removed to a house where he soon recovered. Had he not been discovered as he was, it is probable that in less than an hour the tide coming in would have washed over him and ended his life. A meeting was held last night of persons favorable to the construction of the road from Te Aro to Karori via Polhill Gully. It was well attended, and a resolution was unanimously passed that all present would heartily support Mr. Hunter in his contest for the Mayoralty, and would oppose Mr. Hutchison, as the latter had offered every obstruction in his power to this desirable and important work. Those present formed themselves into a special committee to promote the return of Mr. Hunter as Mayor of Wellington. Funny mistakes are sometimes made by the bailifls and constables whose duty it is to "cry" the various cases in the law courts. At the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning a gentleman named Owen Lord was interested in a case, but in order to save time no doubt, bis name appeared on tbe official records as O. Lord. Said the clerk to the orderly, "Call O. Lord." "Oh, Lord!" shouted the orderly. As Mr. Lord did not answer at once, the orderly went outside the door, and yelled " Oh, Lord" three times. Although the Court was convulsed with laughter the orderly could not see that there was anything wrong, and simply contented himself with calling " Silence!" in stentorian tones. A well-known legal gentleman who was entering tha Court when the orderly was crying "Oh, Lord," was amazed, and made anxious enquiries as to the mental condition of the orderly. In another case heard today Mr. Eustace Brandon was concerned, and when the bailiff was instructed to call him he twisted the name into " Useless Brandon," much to the disgust of that gontleman. Mr. Brandon, however, forgave the bailiff because he knew that the bailiff meant no offence, and that the acoustic properties of the R.M. Court are not all that could be desired.

What time cements, circumstances seldom pull asunder. The " everlasting hills," defy the ravages of the storm, and although mutation is written in every phase of life, Nature has wrought what naught oan destroy, Universal use and popular approval have indissolubly established the fame of Udolpho Wolfe's Bohxbdam Abomatio Sohnapps, and not the unbelief of speptics, the tricks of charlatans, the innovations of science, new discoveries, and fresh devices, can overshadow their renown. — [Advt.J