BIRKENHEAD MAYORALTY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18234, 30 October 1922, Page 8

BIRKENHEAD MAYORALTY.

RESIGNATION OF MR. COURT. Mr.. J. W. Court has resigned his office as Mayor of Birkenhead, to which" he was elected 18 months ago. Mr. Court initiated a comprehensive loan programme embracing sewerage, electricity, municipal bus service, the provision of fire-fighting equipment and water supply improvements, and construction of streets and footpaths. These proposals, which aggregated £98,500, were rejected in their entirety, however, by the ratepayers at the, recent poll, and it is believed that Mr. Court's action in relinquishing the Mayoralty was influenced, largely by this adyerse vote. Another outstanding feature of Mr. Court's term of office waa the campaign against the Government assessments of Birkenhead land, which culminated in the borough council objecting rb the Assessment Coutt that the valuations in 91 instances were'too low. All positions held by virjbue of his office are rendered vacant by his resignation, including those on the Lake Takapuna Board o? Control and the Marino Boroughs Association. The borough oouncil will appoint a successor for the. unexpired term of six months, at a special meeting on Wednes-, day evening. Since the defeat of the loan proposals, it has been rumoured that several members of the council intended resigning, but it is understood that upon reconsideration, these resolved to complete the full term, in view of the fact that their resignations would involve the expense of an election to fill the vacancies. The Act empowers the council to decide whether a vacancy should be filled in respect to a councillor, but in the event erf more than one retirement, it is conaidered an election would be ordered.