THE MAYORAL ELECTION. MR HUTCHISON'S ADDRESS.

Evening Post, Volume XX, Issue 266, 13 November 1880, Page 2

THE MAYORAL ELECTION. MR HUTCHISON'S ADDRESS.

In the Rchoolhouse at Iho rear of the Primitive Methodist Church, Sydney-streot, last evening, about 300 persona assembled to hear the address of Mr. William Hutchison, as a candidate for the Mayoral chair during the ensuing municipal term. Councillor Maginnity presided. Mr. Hutchison, whoso address occupied about an hour and a half, waß favorably received. In the course of his introductory remarks, ho alluded to the promise given by him at the last civic election, namely, that he would not again be a candidate for the Mayoralty on the pro-ent occasion. (Hoar.) Well, the reason ho again camo forward was because a number of his frionds, including many who had not supported him at any previous contest, had said to him that thcro was no other candidate in tho field so woll fittod for tho post. He therefore felt it to bo his bounden duty to take care that tho office should bo maintained with some degroo of dignity and propriety. (Hoar, hoar.) For instance, a man might be a very good driver of a coach and an inferior driver of a railway train ; ho might bo a good hodman but a very indifferent bricklayer ; an excellent doctor but n poor lawyer. Now, if any gentleman camo forward who was capable of assuming tho reins of office in a proper manner, ho (Mr. Hutchison) would at once retire in favor of that gentleman. It hod been urged against him that he did not get on well with tho councillors. Well, ho did not know whother to regard that as a compliment to himself or a compliment to tho councillors. (Laughter.) At all events, he believed that every uiomber of tho City Council, with the exception, of course, of tho two candidates whoso names had been announced, would prefor to see him occupy tho Mayoral ohair rather than any other candidate, and would record their votO3 in his favor. Tho whole of the candidates, ho believed, had stated that they wore opposed to any more borrowing. Statemonts of that kind wore, of courso, wsoless, because tho power of borrowing rested with the ratepayers themselves. Regarding the loans that had been formerly raised, ho might mention that ho invariably opposed the .£IOO,OOO loan for street improvements, believing J650.000 would havo boon Bufiicittnt for tho purpose Tho foot that wo woro going to have a largo |sum lying in tho I auk at a very low rate of interest proved how far he was justified in tho belief. And while on the subject of borrowing, ho would remind the ratepayers of a little bill which had passed through the Legislature last session. On the occasion of raising former loans a majority of one-fifth of those who chose to vot > in favor of them was sufficient to obtain those loans. In future, however, it would bo different. The new Act provided that no loan shall bo held as sanctioned by the ratepayers unless oloar majority of tho ratepayers actually on tho roll shall have voted for it. Adverting to tho other candidates, ho would first say a word or two about Mr. Dwan. Ho had not' the pleasure of knowing that gentleman personally, but he had heard that ho was like Yoriok — "a follow of infinite jest and moat excellent fancy." Now, there was one great objection to Mr. Dwan's candidature t tho peoplo of Wellington wcro not sufficently acquainted with him, and ho was not sufficiently acquainted with them. (Hoar, hear.) Ho assumed that tho reporters, cither from not quite understanding thoir business or through the hurry of transcribing their notes, failed to pick tip Mr. Dwan's figures on the occasion of his address to tho electors at tho Arcado, bocauso the figures ho had quoted regarding this city wore most fearfully " out." For example, Mr. Dwan had understated tho municipal debt by more than half, though he (Mr. Hutchison) only wished that gentleman had been right, for .£430,000 was certainly not a small sum. However, tho city was quite equal to the ta*k of repaying tho monoy, and anybody who preached the doctrine of repudiation was a traitor to the best interests of tho city. (Applause.) Thcro was ono thing he liked about Mr. Dwan's address — tha candidate 3trongly favorod tho construction of the West Coast railway. It was undoubtedly the business of the Mayor and Council to promote that tin* dortaking by every moans in thoir power. (Applausu.) He hod hoard some of Mr. Andrew Young's friends say — and he referred to tho fact publicly in the hope that the report might proyo untrue— that he (Mr. Young) was only in favor of the lino as far as Porirua, nay, that he hoped it would not go farther than that place. No doubt he wanted those rattle-traps of coache3 of his not to be done away with yet. (Laughter.) A 8 for Dr. Diver, ho had every right to aspire to the Mayoral office, considering his position and education, but the doctor had not yet mastered the rudiments of tho art of conducting tho business of tho Council, and beforo he became Mayor ought to set himself to learn them thoroughly. Mow. Mr. Young, or the gentleman who wrote his address, had presented a rather tempting bill of fare /to the electors. To begin with, that candidate was going to do the work for nothlhg. (Hear, hear.) Well, some people knew their own value wonderfully — (laughter)— though Mr. Young endeavored to make it appear that he would declino to accept any remuneration, so that the monoy might not " come out of tho pockets of the already over-taxed ratepayers." The quoation of remunerating mm entirely one for tho Council to decide; and if the Council were of opinion that thg Mayor ought to receive no salary, he would not have a particle of objection to it. If, however, they took that view, it would eimply amount to this — the office of Mayor conld only be held by men possessed of a large amount of money, and it was not likely the Woll ngten ratepayers would be ready to accept a rich man irrespective of brains or anything else. ; fhe proper com se for a man to pursue if he did not wi?h to accept the money would be simply to take the office and not take the money, or take the money and present it to some charity. The manner in which the statement had been put in Mr. Young's address was simply that of a vulgar, purse-proud man, and nothing else. If Mr. Young wished to save the pockets of the "already overtaxed ratepayers," how was it that he voted against the proposed reduction from £800 to £500 per annum in the salary of the City Surveyor ? Then Mr Young wont on to say that he would at all times take a pleasure in working hand in hand with our newly* constituted Harbor Board. Now, thero was nobody who wished to work anything but harmoniously with the new!y-con&titnted Harbor Board ; but he (Mr. Hutchison) had no hesitation in saying that if the demands of that Board were to be complied with, the interest* of the City cf Wellington would be sold, and whether he was in or out of office he wonld always continue to hold that opinion. The Queon's wharf was one of the most important assets belonging to the city at the present time, and the Board ought to remain contented with their own peddling little wharf. He ought not to conceal from the ralepaj era his strong opinion with reference to this matter. The whole conception of the Harbor Board was a total mutake. Wellington was essentially different from any other place in . tho colony, and those who wished woll for Wellington ought to have constituted the Council the Harbor Board, and thus prevent tho extra expenditure of money in employiajj, useless officials. (Hear, hear.) No dona)

the members of the Harbor Board fancied they were going to make things cheap and render this a free port, but tho first thing they did was to try to make pilotage compulsory, though they subsequently discovered that they had no power to do so. Regarding the cemetery, it might very shortly become unhealthy and be deleterious to tho health of the citizens. Consequently he was in favor of urging upo^he Government the advisablenesß of procuring a fresh burial ground. Every day the cemetery remained as it waa it would become more difficult to close, because people who had relatives already interred there would naturally like to be buried there too. This ho would allow, but those who had not already seme relative buried in the cemetery ought to be interred in another ground. He, therefore, quite coincided with those who wished the cemetery to be removed, on the condition that the Government found another cemetery accessible to the people. In conclusion, his can* didature was entirely in the hands of the ratepayers, who, he hoped, would make such a selection as would tend to preserve the dignity of the Council and serve the interests of the people. Messrs. Marchant, M. L. Marks, Anderson, and others having put several questions, Mr. Grigg proposed, and Mr. Clark seconded, " A vote of confidence in Mr. Hutchison for his past services, and this meeting pledges itself to support him." As an amendment, Mr. Anderson moved, and Mr. Madely seconded. " That in the opinion of the meeting, it is highly desirable, in the interests of the ratepayers, that a new candidate should be elected to fill the office for the ensuing year." Three hands were held up for the amendment, and about a score for the motion, which was declared carried by a large majority.