INSTALLATION OF THE MAYOR.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 772, 17 December 1886, Page 11

INSTALLATION OF THE MAYOR.

The formal installation of Mr Samuel Brown as Mayor of Wellington took place at a special meeting of the City Council, held at noon on Wednesday, There werepresent:— The Mayor, Mr A. W. Brown (in the chair), Councillors Richardson, Danks, Williams, Smith, Petherick, Brandon, Young, Benzoni, Quick, McKenzie and Edwards. The seats set apart for the public were well filled, many of the leading citizens of Wellington being present. The official announcement of Mr Samuel

Brown’s election having been read, The Mayor said the occasion of the meeting was provided for in the Municipal Corporations Act. The object of the meeting was to install the new Mayor, and to enable the retiring Mayor to say farewell. His duty on this occasion would be a short and pleasant one. He wished to return thanks in the most cordial manner for the kindness he had received during the past year. Eirst he ought to thank those who were instrumental in introducing him to municipal politics.

Cook Ward had elected him first in 1881, and unopposed on a later ocoasion, and he felt ' a debt of gratitude to the city for electing him as Mayor, which it would be impossible to repay. His leave-taking, of coarse, was tinged with regret, but this was more than counterbalanced by the fact that he left behind him a body of Councillors who were deeply imbued with a sense of duty, and each of whom had the welfare of the city at heart, and would do his best for the advancement of its interests. The public had been most kind and considerate to him, and even people who had opposed him at election times had been to his virtues ever kind, and to his faults more than a little blind. He had t • heartily and sincerely thank the members of the Council for their very kind treatment of him. They had assisted him to a much larger extent than might generally be supposed. He also thanked the officers of the Council, to whose efficiency, he said, it was his duty to pay a high tribute. An institution in the city which he ought not to forget was the Press. All public men, inhisopinion, owed a great deal to the Press, and in his particular case it would be sheer ingratitude if he were not to thank them cordially and heartily for their criticisms of him. In conclnsion, he expressed a hope that the same pleasant and happy experiences which he had had would be experienced by the new Mayor of this great and promising city of Wellington. Mr Samuel Brown then made the usual declaration. Mr A. W. Brown, addressing the Mayorelect, expressed a hope that his relations with the Council would be cordial and kindly. Mr Samuel Brown then took the

chair. He did not wish, he said, to make a long speech ; he was inclined to think that an infliction from two Browns in one day was too much. Nevertheless, there were a few matters he would

like to say a word or two upon. There were some matters on which he differed somewhat from the members of the Council ; and when he Said he differed it must be understood that he intended to give all and any assistance he could to the Council. One of the first matters that presented itself to one was the question now at issue between the Harbor Board and the City Council. No good purpose would be served by him traversing now what had been done, or saying what he should have done, since the matter was now settled except some details. He might say he thought the present intention of having a joint committee was a very happy one, and would lead to a satisfactory settlement of the whole question. He should be very glad to give any assistance he could toward a settlement, as far as his judgment went, to the benefit of the city as a whole. Most of them expected a very large increase in the trade of the city by the opening up of a large extent of country by railway. He did not sup. pose that any of them could possibly gauge the extent of that benefit, but he would give them an instance of what such a thing had done elsewhere. In 1882 the Mont St Gothard tunnel was opened. Since then Germany had increased her export trade in value from £2,640.000 to £4,460,000, Spain from £2,576,000 to £3,447,000, and Switzerland from £1,480,000 in 1881 to £3,000,000. It was impossible, he thought to estimate the gain to Wellington by the opening of a large extent of country. Another important question was that of the reclamation ■ and he might say he differed from what had been done. On the hooks of the Corporation there was a resolution to the effect that the

reclamation should be done from the Queen’s Wharf to Cuba-street, and that as soon as arrangements could be made with the fore-

shore - owners the line should be continued to Clyde-quay. Only a portion of that had been done, and the resolution remained unrescinded. That resolution was proposed by him. There were complaints outside now—he did not say they were just, because he knew people were in the habit of saying these sorts of things—that an honest effort had not been made to deal with the claims of foreshore owners. He was inclined at any rate to think that it was wise to avoid going to law. Going to law meant the Council spending a good deal of money not its own, and he would be prepared to give a large portion of time to the settlement of these matters, as he had done in previous years, before they went to law. He believed he was only expressing the views of the Councillors when he said he did not think they were desirous of going to law. With respect to the reclamaticn, he was compelled to point out that, as it was now being carried out, it was stopping all the trade that had hitherto been carried o a along theTeAroforeshore. Noneof theboatbuilders or shipbuilders would be able to get access to the sea. He had no hesitation in saying that the greater portion of that difficulty might have been avoided. It was done now, however, and he did not know how it could be prevented. But he was very certain a considerable sum would have to be paid in compensation. Another phase of the question was that the Council, as a public body, ought to do all it could to encourage trade and business, for they could not afford to shut out any industry. He was opposed also to the manner in which the breastwork had been carried out. A wooden breastwork was a very great mistake ; an infinitely better job could have been made by a lower slope, with metal on the outside. It might, perhaps, seem ungracious on his part to refer to these matters—(Councillors : Hear, hear) —but he had to take them in hand, and he was not going to be put in a false position. Referriug to the Glenbervie-terrace cutting, he said it was not going on as he should wish it, and he disapproved the slope at which it was made. It would cost the Council a good deal, he believed, for slips, etc. These were matters which had been engaging public attention, and there were one or two others he would ask them to consider. During the last few years a practice bad grown up of putting off works till after the 31st March. The apparent effect of this was to improve the balance-sheet. He did not blame Councillors for this ; he had taken part in it. But he had seen the evil of it. The apparent effect was the good balance-sheet, but the •real effect was that all the work was done in the winter, when it should be done in the summer. Take drainage works for instance. In connection with the reclamation question he might say they had two pieces of land supposed to be worth £20,000. They had been reclamed for some time, and the land was lying idle. The Harbor Board, probably smarter men, had got their land surveyed, and had advertised it to let. This £20,000, at 6 per cent., would be worth £I2OO a-year, and he thought it would be desirable to use the land as soon as possible. Of course there might be reasons for not using it which he did not know of. (Councillors : Hear, hear.) He was speaking as an outsider. During last summer he said that the Council found it necessary to advertise that persons should not use the water for gardens. Unless there was something wrong, there must have been a very great waste going on, for the supply to this city was very much greater than was required for the number of inhabitants. He had the idea that a great deal of this waste was caused by leaky taps. He suggested that anannual inspection should be made of the service of the city. In most cases it would be found that leather washers were all that were required. Another matter which required amendment was the present practice of shutting off the whole street when a service was being laid nn, which could be met by apparatus made for the purpose. There had been a question raised of baying more land at Wainui. He did not know whether there were any reasons for this since he left the Council, but he would point that about £SOO would bring another stream into the Wainui. He referred to the necessity for a street sweeper, and then went on to deal with ward matters. He hoped, he said, to be able to do something to assist in getting a recreation ground for Thorndon, and should be very glad to go into the papers. He'was of the opinion that for outlying streets asphalting was very much better than gravel. Gravel cost 5s a yard to buy and 10s a yard to scrape it out of the gutters. He should suggest to the Council later on the advisableness of spending £SOO or £IOOO on asphalting, particularly in Cook Ward. After touching upon the energy of the Cook Ward representatives, which, he said, made up for their numerical weakness, Mr Browu remarked that they might consider whether they would have their rates allocated according to the Act. As to the question of drainage he should not now detain them on that further than to say that at the next meeting of the Council he would move, “That the Council have prepared a contour map showing (1) the levels and course of No. 1 and 2 high level sewers, with all necessary sewers in connection therewith, and the outfall to Ohiro Bay, with an approximate estimate of the same; also the course of the outfall to Island Bay ; (2) the course of the low-lying sewers and drains connected therewith. This resolution to be given effect to immediately.” He thought it would be possible to do something without increased taxation, but it was a large question, and he would not touch upon it further than to say he thought it would be desirable to have the rubbish brought to the Corporation yards and burned, and that the night-soil should be removed in air-tight receptacles. He hoped, in conclusion, that the kindly and good feeling which had existed during the six years he sat in the Council would be continued. It would not be his fault, he said, if it was not. He thanked his predecessor for the welcome he had given him, and complimented him upon the able manner in which, he had performed his duties. (Applause.) Councillor Danks, as the oldest member of the Council, congratulated the Mayor on his election to the Mayoral chair, and expressed an opinion that the city would have no cause to regret having placed him there. This concluded the meeting.

Subsequently the Mayor and Councillors,

and a number of other gentlemen, met in the Mayor’s room, where the health of the Mayor was proposed by Mr J. Dransfield, and drunk, Mr Edward Pearce, as Chairman of the Harbor Board, making a few remarks by way of welcome to the Mayor as a member of chat body. His Worship having replied, gave the toast of the retiring Mayor, Mr A. W. Brown; and on the motion of the latter gentlemen, the Corporation officers were toasted. “A bumper to the Mayoress” was given by Councillor Petherick, and heartily responded to ; and the Press was toasted, Messrs J. C. Harris and E. T. Gillon responding.