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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5681, 14 June 1879, Page 2

When Mr. Hutchison was elected Mayor we expressed a hope that he might disappoint our expectations, and prove in every sense a worthy Mayor. His first speech on taking his scat in the Council, however, bore out our opinion of his unfitness for the position, and his conduct since that date has but confirmed the unfavorable estimate we had previously formed of his influence upon Municipal matters. This open expression of want of confidence is forced from us with sincere regret, as we prefer whenever possible to support the holder of dignity and authority in any position, knowing the many difficulties attached to any such office and the number of critics which envy or personal animosity always create. Mr. Hutchison’s first proceeding upon taking his seat as Mayor was to express a desire to magnify the office to which he had been appointed. In former years he had so far magnified the office as altogether to exceed the powers attached to it, and although during the Mayoral contest wo were content to bury the past in oblivion, the position taken up by the Mayor on resuming the office, must have reminded his hearers and the public of his misdeeds in days gone by. The statement was generally condemned as being in very bad taste, and it was remarked that it looked like another exemplification of the proverbial uppishness of one who is dressed with a little brief authority, and would fain exercise and magnify his newborn power and importance. Every step since taken by the Mayor has proved that he means to act up to his openly avowed principle of magnifying his own importance, which he can only do at the expense of his fellow Councillors. He aspires to the dignity of Chairman of the Harbor Board as well as Mayor of the city, and is trying very hard to achieve this distinction. On Thursday night he enunciated the sentiment that the bostpossible Harbor Board which could possibly be chosen in the whole of the provincial district was the existing City Council. It was far more really representative of the whole of the community than if it wore chosen by electors throughout an area which stretches more than 100 miles north of the city. We fully expected that he would enumerate the special qualifications of each of his supporters, their extensive experience as importers and merchants, their acquaintance with the requirements of the mercantile marine, and the wonderful qualifications they had acquired during their experience as paid members of the Wharf Committee. Mr. Hutchison considered the City Council just as likely to receive harbor endowments as the Board, and finally asked why the members of the Chamber of Commerce should be constituted the Harbor Board any more than the members of the Society of Odd Fellows. Forgetful of all show of decency and respect for some of his colleagues, he even ascribed the action taken in the matter by the Chamber to selfish personal interest and mean motives 'of gain. Speaking of the Premier’s feelings in respect to the Harbor Board, ho denied that the former favored the movement, and based his denial upon the supposed well-known tendencies of Sir G. Gkey to favor the wishes of the masses. It was a relief to find that Councillor Thompson was able from his own personal knowledge of what passed at the interview to characterise Mr. Hutchison’s statement as positively untrue, and we believe that ho prophesied truly when he said that the Chamber of Commerce was destined to become the Harbor Board in spite of the opposition of the Council. He indignantly denied the foul motives imputed to members of the Chamber of Commerce by the Mayor, and we think that this denial can be easily substantiated by a reference to the proposed constitution of the Board. Finally Mr. Thompson administered a well deserved rebuke ■to the Mayor for having forgotten the dignity which properly attached to his office, and for having adopted a tone of ; debate calculated to embitter party feeling and to raise up class hatreds, in a manner which would surprise no one, as the Mayor was unfortunately only too well known for deep-seated prejudice “against any man with a good coat on his back.” The port does not belong to the city, as Mr. Hutchison asserts. _ The whole colony is to some extent affected by Wellington harbor management. Upon the prosperity of the port the welfare of all the surrounding country districts depends. The Legislature would at once interfere if, for instance, heavier dues were, imposed upon ships visiting the port ;for the flake , of relieving the city-rate-payers of their water or sewage rates ; but the power to do this is aimed at and desired by- the Council. In days to come the harbor and wharf dues may realise four times as much as at present, and the Councillors would be constantly tempted to tax the whole colony through the shipowners and importers . for the sake of the popularity they would thereby gain with their city constituencies. A lowering of town rates, and an increase of harbor or wharf dues, would be immensely popular with the city ratepayers, and—Mr. Hutchison knows it. The Harbor Board, as proposed by the Chamber of Commerce, would contain eleven members, of whom two would be nomin-. ated by the General Government. One if not both of these would prebably be citizens of Wellington. Two would be elected by tlie ratepayers, one'would be nominated by the City Council, and the Mayor would also have a seat. We have enumerated six, five of whom would almost certainly be city members. Of the three Chamber of Commerce members, two at -least would belong to the city, consequently the two country raem- , bars would be able to exert a moral influence only upon the decisions of the Board. The arguments in favor of a -Harbor Board, acting independently of the Corporation, have been frequently stated, but may be summarised thus : The interests of the city and of the harbor are not at all times identical. City Councillors would by reason of their office be always biassed in favor of the Corporation whenever there was any collision of interests. The Council as a Harbor Board, whenever it was short of money, would have power to tax either the stranger in the port or the ratepayers in the city who elected them. The temptation to injustice is obvious. The man best fitted by training and experience to accept office in a Harbor Board, would in some oases be unfitted by that very training’for a seat in the City Council. Even our City Councillors cannot serve two masters, the citizens and the harbor, the management of which affects the whole colony. We assert that the interests of the port have not only suffered in the past but are likely to suffer in the future by the handling they receive in the. Council. We believe much of the money derived from Government subsidy which has been spent upon the city, would have been expended to far greater advantage upon the harbor. The Mayor of the city asserts that the wharf and harbor of Wellington

are as well if not better managed than other colonial ports. If he were the chairman of the Harbor Board and not the Mayor of the city, he would—to use an expressive colonialism—“never have “ the ‘cheek’ to say so.”