MAYORAL INSTALLATIONS.

New Zealand Mail, 30 December 1892, Page 39

MAYORAL INSTALLATIONS.

CITY OF WELLINGTON

HIS WORSHIP'S ADDRE3S,

The statutory annual mesting of the City Council for the purp se of formally installing in office the Mayor-elect, was held last week. Mr Bell, as Mayor for 1891-2, took the ohair, having on his right ex Councillor Worth, who returned the other day from his trip to England. There were also present:— Councillors Smith, Harris, Petberick, White, Fraser, Penty, Harooutt, Wi Ilea too, Vogel, Parsons and Anderson. Amongst other gentlem n in attendance we noticed Messrs J. Duthie, M.H.R.. E. W. Mills, J. B. Heaton, A. Campbell, J. Maginnity, A. Knigge and Rev H. van Staveren.

The Town Clerk opened the proceedings by reading the. Returning Officer's formal declaration of Mr H. D. Bell's election as Mayor of Wellington for 1892-3. Mr Bell then vacated the chair, and made the naual atatutory declaration upon taking office, whereupon he re-assumed the ohair as Mayor for the our rent year, and was received with applause. Hie Worship delivered tho following address :—Gentlemen of the City Council, I enter upon the work of this vear with no over weening confidence in my ability to guide and lead the affairs of the city even with your assistance, for there is no doubt that we have before us a very serious and very difficult task. Speaking of the past year, I desire to return to you, gentlemen, my really sincere thanks for the way in whioh you have sup. ported me, and for the assistance you have given by the cordial oo • operation there has been extended, not only to myself, but also from each member of the council to the other during the past year. The eonnoil is aware that I have as little as possible acted without previously having consulted the whole body, but where it has been neoessary for me to act as executive officer of the council without authority, in no single ioatan.ee has the council abstained from giving me its support and ratification. Without the confidence the council has shown it would have been impossible for the Mayor to have felt he had that authority which it is neoessary he should have. 1 am speaking for the whole eonnoil when I cay that it is matter for congratulation for, us to see lata • Councillor Worth amongst us again, for there was a general txpress!oo of regret when Mr

Worth felt himself obliged to tender hie resignation. Tho eonnoil would have been willing on that oaoaslon to have extended to him any reasonable leave of absence. Tho experience which Mr Worth has gained of munioipal matters during bia stay in England will be of great service to us, and I am sure 1 am expressing the feeling of my brother councillors when I say we bope soon to see him here again. I have one word to say about the publio improvements of the city. I have been accused of making a fetish of the present drainage scheme—of treating it as a kind of gospel. I admit the accusation, and 1 will state that I, and I believe the councillors mean to adhere to that position. I was very much struck by a statement Mr Worth made to me a short time ago with regard to the advance of sanitary science in England. He said it is growing there so fast that people do not know when they take up a plan whether It will not be subverted next day. That has been our difficulty In the past. We do not mean, however, that it aball be a difficulty in the future. We have a scheme for the futare. We have been accused of ignoring oriticism. In one sense that is truo. If we allowed those behind us to force our hands we would be landed in all sorts and forms of difficulty. The intention of the counoll next year is to carry out that whioh the council in the past has always determined would be the plan of drainage. Then wi'h regard to the question of money. That is the quostion which will really give us the greatest cause for anxiety, but I am able to say this, though I am somewhat anticipating the report that has yet to be made to the council, and I doubt not will be adepted : that, in the opinion of the finance committee, it will be advisable to obtain money for a year upon short dated debentures, to be cancelled when the loan is issued. That is to say, the money required for the initiation of the scheme is assured That is a very important step. Then with regard to the issue of the loan. That Is a step upon which naturally I am able to say a few words. The finance committee has resolved to obtain the authority of the oonncil to consult with some four or five prominent business men in Wellington and to take their advice. We have already by oiroular requested the advice of the banks. In that way I think the citizens may be assured as to what is done in the raising of the loan, which is a matter outside the ordinary business funotions and duties of the counoll, and sinoe it cannot pretend to be speoially qualified to safeguard the interests of the city in that matter I think the citizens will be satisfied we shall bring to the determination of the questions lying before us the best oapaoity there is in the city. I think, gentlemen, that is all I ought to say on this oooasion. I began by saying it is with scarcely less diffidence 1 begin this year than that which I was oppressed with when I took my Beat last year. I can only hope that I shall be able to give sufficient attention to the affairs of the city to enable me to feel at the close of the year that I have, at all events, tried, to the best of my ability, to do the duty wbioh the citizens so emphatically entrusted to me. This Is the statutory meeting, and the business of the meeting being oonoluded, the oounoil will now adjourn. 1 he proceedings accordingly closed. BOROUGH OF MELROSE. The new Mayor of Melrose (Mr H. D. Crawford) was formally installed to his office at the ordinary meeting of the Borough Couccil last wek. There were present— The Mayor (Mr J. H. Heaton), Councillors Baylls, Heginbotbam, Fear, Key, Hopwood, Mowatt and Chegwin. In retiring from the ohair Mr Heaton said that he had endeavoured to carry out the business part of the office ; he looked upon the sooial duties in connection with the office as utter rot. His term had been a very pleasant one, and he assured them that he would take the same interest in the borough as in the past. The rates they bad received, so far as he could judge, had been wisely spent. The ratepayers grumbled a good deal, but he did not think they ought to grumble as they did. The agreement made with the Brooklyn syndi oate he alluded to as a very good pleoe of work. With the £4OO they had received from the syndicate they had bo improved Brooklyn that it was bow one of the prettiest plaoes in the district. When be had entered office he had had some idea that something could be done with regard to the Queen's Drive, but when he had gone into the question he had found that It was utterly impossible for the borough to do anything. The construction of the road would not mean any inorease in rates for the borough, and therefore he had given up the idea. It was satisfactory for him to say to his successor that, after poyiDg tho monthly aecauntß, amounting to £127 7e. there would be a balanoo of about £3i>, and there were no liabilities. The new Mayor, however, would come into office with very little money to spend. Perhaps thii was a good thing for a new man coming in, particularly one who resided in the district. He felt that he oould not leave the ohair without paying a tribute of praise to their town oleik (Mr W, G (

Foster), who he looked upon as a very valuable officer, and a man whom any council might feel proud of. He carried out his duties in a most efficient way, and made matters very simple for the Mayor and councillors. He had also done a great deal of surveying'—work whioh nf» other town olerk was able to do. Toe new Mayor was well acquainted with the borough, and he had the same Idea as he (Mr Heaton) had, that in a very short time Melrose would be one of the very finest boroughs in New Zealand. He sinoerely hoped that the Mayor and councillors wonld keep their expenditure within their income, and that they would never go in for any system of borrowing. Mr Heaton then left the chair.

Mr Crawford having made the necessary declaration, said that he was very much impressed with the very great compliment the ratepayers had paid him, especially because he had always felt that the people did not think that he took such a great interest in the borough as he really did. He could assure them that there was no man more anxious to see the suburbs go ahead, f here was a great deal to be done, but they had nothing to do it with. The only way that they oould procure any satisfactory result was to ask tho City Council to improve the roads through the town belt to' tho various suburbs. If the roads to Brooklyn, Island Bay, Kilbirnie, Melrose, and Ohiro were improved, tho value of the land would be doubled, and consequently they would have a great inorease in the rates. It was their duty to approach the City Council, and it ought to be done as soon as possible, as he felt sure there was no town in Now Zealaud with better suburbs than Wellington if they were only opened up. The opening up of these suburbs, it oould be pointed out to the City Council, would be an immense advantage to tho oity. He felt sure also that they would get material support from the Government if the roads in the most vulnerable part of the district to the fortifications were opened up. He parti, cularly thought it was neoessary that there ihould ba a good road from Ohiro Bay to the forte. He hoped that the councillors would put aside all feelings of local jealousy and work for the benefit of the whole borough. He did not want to mention names or bring up nasty things, but tbey all knew that there had been a good deal of jealousy amongst the different suburbs for years. Con. eluding, he said that no man had ever been so fortunate in taking office under suoh favourable oiroumstanoes. The affairs of the borough were in a most satisfactory state and the credit of this was due to the late Mayor and Mr Foster. Councillor Bayiis weloomed the new Mayor. Councillor Heginbotbam congratnlated the new Mayor, and referred in terms of the highest praise to Mr Heaton, who, he said, retird with the fullest respect of the members of the oounoil. The new Mayor, referring to the drainage scheme, said it was the duty of the ratepayers and the suburbs to assist the City Council in every possible way, pointing out that tbe suo:ess of a suburb entirely depended upon the success of tho town. The other councillors present weloomed the new Mayor, and referred in eulogistic terms to the outgoing Mayor. Mr Crawford returned thanks and the ceremony ended. BOROUGH OF ONSLOW. Mr Alexander Cameron, who had been reelected unopposed to the Mayoralty of the Borough of Onslow, was duly installed at the annual meeting held last week. Councillors Casey, Durrell, Aplin and Hobbs were present, and one and all heartily congratulated Mr Cameron on his having been oleoted to preside over them for another year. The Mayor duly replied, and this part of the proceedings terminated.

(PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Woodvillb, December 21. At the Installation of Mr Hubert Barnett as Mayor to-day, he was presented with a handeomo silver cradle in oommemoration of the birth of a son during his last year's term of office. Auckland, December 21. Mr W. Crowther was to day installed as Mayor, for a second term of office.