MAYORAL ELECTIONS.

Evening Post, Volume L, Issue 123, 21 November 1895, Page 4

MAYORAL ELECTIONS.

Mr. "M. H. M'Carthy, the present Mayor of Onslow, who is seeking re-eleotion, addressed a meeting of ratepayers in Kaiwarra Publio Hall last evening. Mr. John Holmes took the ohair. Mr. M'Carthy returned thanks for his previous election, and olaimed that he had honestly carried ont the pledges which he had given before he was plaoedin the Mayoral ohair. He had done all in' his power to farther the interests of the borough, and he •gain oame before the bnrgesses feeling that he had a just olaim for re-eleotion. When he took office the borough debt was abont .£IOOO, and he asserted that he had been the prinoipal factor in wiping it off. He and others had Moved in the direction of getting the City Counoil to make % grant in aid of repairing the Hntt road, but they bad not been successful. It was an injustice that people living out of the borough who used the road should not assist in its maintenance. Residents of the borough owned only 42 vehicles, and not one-fourth of those vefaioles used the road daily. It had been ascertained that fully 1100 vehicles passed along the road every 24 hours. During the past year about -8400 had been spent by the Borough on tho road, and very little money was left for other purposes. The present overdraft was A'l2o, and the borough could only finish the financial year satisfactorily by exeroising proper eoonomy. He had been accused of not employing labour. . During his term of office he had been anxious to improve the finanqial position of the borough, and it had been impossible to go in for extensive works. He regretted that the scheme for oonstruotIng a new road from Kaiwarra to Khandallah, through Crofton, had not been proceeded with. Owing to a difference of opinion the scheme was hong up for a lime The money spent in survey work had not been wasted. The road was wanted, and he did not think the day waa far distant when it would be an accomplished faot. The road would be of very great benefit to Kaiwarra, and as the rate which it would be neoessary to strike was only in order to provide tho money, he trnsteri the burge-ses would agree that it was desirablo to make the road. If re-eleofcod, he would do all in his power to pa ah on tho scheme. At his suggestion the City Counoil had aooepted ,£ls in satisfaction of the olaim of £25 for water, and also decided to relieve the borough of the responsibility of supplying Kaiwarra with water. He believed arrangements oould bo made whereby the City Council would undertake the removal of the nightaoil from Kaiwarra. Replying to questions, Mr. M'Carthy said that he was in favonr of making arrangements for the more satisfactory flushing of the drains in Kaiwarra. 'When be and Others interviewed tho Premier abont the rood to Kbandallah he wrb honestly under the impression that the whole of the landowners interested were agreoablo to the work. With the exception of an absentee, »]] tbe owners were practically in favour of the road. A vote of thanks to tho Chairman oonoluded the meeting. Mr. C. M. Luke addressed a meeting of ratepayers at the Clyde quay Schoolroom lmst evening, Mr. K. Hurlbton in the ohair. The candidate alluded to tho necessity for the extension of the railway to South Wellington and tho reclamation of Oriental Bay. In regard to the drainage, he explained that some 32 miles had been laid, leaving about 13 miles of tbe moat difficult and expensive portion yet to 1 o laid. Tbe steam lighting oontract he dearly defined, and he made speoial reference to the question of private streets, as to which his distinot and emphatio opinion was that all streets whioh contribute -rates should partioipate in tbe expenditure, and that it was a burning' shame to leave them out of the munioipal finances. He believed that these •treeta, of whatever width, must ba taken Over, but at the same time ho advocated that atreets should not be less than 66ft wide. If through the peculiar configuration of the •ity it should happen that less than 66ft is

'nrm oil, Hi p " t' 10 reaidonnea should bo a' d bick so ns to nllow tlio neocß^nry ¦vii'r'- A vote cvf tlianka mid uonfidenop wna inannnously oarned.