THE MAYORAL ELECTION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 6792, 21 November 1883, Page 2

THE MAYORAL ELECTION.

MORNINGTON,

Two candidates were yesterday nominated for the office of Mayor of Mornington. Mr John English was proposed by Messrs John Mitchell and John Stone, and Mr James Stansfield, proposed by Messrs W. Ingram and Nicholas Luscombe. The poll will be taken on the 28th inst.

CAVERSHAM.

The nomination of candidates for the office of Mayor took place yesterday at noon. Mr George Applegarth proposed, and Mr William Wilson seconded, Mr Hugh Calder. As there was no other candidate, Mr Calder was declared duly elected. Mr Calder thanked the ratepayers for the high compliment they had paid him in re-elect-ing him Mayor without opposition. He hoped during the coming year to justify their confidence, and that his term of office would see the important work of drainage undertaken in a satisfactory manner.

NORTH-EAST VALLEY.

Thomas Short, proposed by E. J. Schlo tell and Thomas Fergus, M.H.R., being the only candidate nominated for election as Mayor of North-East Valley, was yesterday declared duly elected by the Returningofficer (Mr M'Fadyen).

MR J. GUTHRIE'S ADDRESS,

Mr J. Guthrie, as a candidate for the City Mayoralty, addressed a meeting of ratepayers in tha Queen's Theatre last evening. There was a numerous attendance, upwards of 300 persons being present. Mr John Bahron was voted to the chair, and in a short complimentary speech introduced the candidate.

Mr Guthbis Baid that ono of the moßt important questions to be considered was the question of the Gasworks, The question had been raised whether they should retain these works in their own hands and receive the profits he would show was derived fromthemj or lease them to a company, 'and thus kill the gooso that laid the golden egg. His opponents, Messrs Street and Spedding, had both declared that it would be a profitable thing to lease the Gasworks, and during the contest they remained of the same opinion. It therefore followed that if either of

those gentlemen were returned, as the Mayor would have two votes—a deliberative and a casting vote, —the risk of the works being leased would be greatly increased, aa it had been mainly due to the present worthy Mayor that the proposal had not cone further than it had done. He (Mr Guthrie) declared most emphatically that he had been, and was still, firmly opposed to leasing or selling the works; and he considered himself justified in asking the ratepayers, in view of the declared opinions of his opponents, to consider this fact as giving him a strong claim to the sympathy and support of the burgesses. When

he Corporation purchased tha Gasworks he works were in a dilapidated state, and since then extensive alterations and improvements had been made. During the past eight years they had in fact been engaged making the eld works into new ones; and so well had this been done that there were few, if any, gasworks in the Colony superior to those belonging to the Corporation. Upon this reconstruction of tha works he laid great stress, because while the Council had virtually . been acquiring new works it had been debiting the department with 2J per cent, depreciation per annum, so that to the credit of this fund there now stands the sum of £12,42S ISs Cd. He would venture to assert that there was no private company in the world that would dream of charging as much aa 2J per cent, for depreciation, and to make such a charge when they were renewing their works was obviously absurd. He would unhesitatingly affirm that the Gasworks were profitable, and in support of his statement desired to refer to the accounts of the department. In addition to what he had told them regarding the amount written off for depreciation, he might state that the Council had placed to the credit of the sinking fund £6142 10a sd. This sinking fund would in the course of years pay off the capital cost of the works, and it therefore followed that it should be regarded as profit. Th& Gasworks originally Co3t the Corporation £49,000, which had been paid in debentures, and since then, by the sale of other debentures, the sum of £35,216 0s 2(1 had been realised, which in addition to the purchase-money had boon expended principally in the extension of mains. The whole of thefle amounts should have been charged against capital, but the Corporation had quietly charged them against revenue. The profits for nearly eight years should stand as follow : Net profit, as shown by the balance-sheet, £IG,S(JO G3 sd; amount with accrued interest to the credit of the sinking fund, £6142 5a lOd ; amount to the credit of the depreciation account, £12,428 18s 6d; expended on capital account out of revenue, £30,600 10s 9d;—or a total profit Bince the purchase of the works of £66,032 Is 6d. Then, if they looked at the cost of the works, they would see what interest the works had paid, and whether it would ba for the benefit of the citizens that the works should be disposed of. The entire cost of the works had been £114,216, but as the greater part of this expenditure had been spread over a number of years, in estimating the rate of interest an average must be taken. For this purpose it would be a liberal estimate to take £75 as the average cost, and if that were co it would bo found that the interest the works had paid was equal to about 12 per cent. He challenged anyone to contradict these figures. They were not his figures, but had been furnished by the town clerk from the books of the Corporation, and had been duly verified. Could it then with justice be said, in the face of these facts, that tho works had proved a losing concern.—(Applause.) And what was more, they might expect far better results in future, as additional consumption increased profit. The heavy charge for depreciation had struck him as singular, and in reply to his queries he had been told by old members of tho Council that it had been done for the purpose of preventing an undue cry on tho part of consumers for a reduction in the price of gan. They all knew of the struggle which bad taken place in Dunedin for the citizens to acquire possession of the srs and water works, and be Believed that

if they listened to the talk about disposing of the Gasworks they would also be asked to lease tho waterworks. Were they after getting these things into their own hands to give them up voluntarily ? Truly ha hoped not. Assuming for the sake of argument that Corporation management could not be quite so economical as private management, could it be supposed a syndicate would endeavour to get possession of the Gasworks unless those concerned were fully aware that the figures ho had given were correct? The gentlemen forming the syndicate were not philanthropists, but wore clear hardheaded men of busiaeas, and unless they were euro there would ba a handsome return they would not want to lease or purchase the works. The ratepayers, he maintained, owed a debt of gratitude to the members of the Council who at once said regarding the proposal—" We will have none of it."—(Loud applause.) With these facts before them they should hesitate before electing to tho position of Mayor any gentleman who had advocated the taking of the worka out of the hands of the citizens, as Messrs Street and Spedding had dove. It was beyond the shadow of a doubt that Messrs Street and Spodding had tried very hard t« prove that that there was a losS ori the works, and hSd worked zealously in the Council in a way that was likely to assist in the accomplishment ofthe desire of the body of very benevolent gentlemen who bo kindly wished to take the Gasworks out of hands of the Corporation.— (Applause.) It had been taid by Mr Spedding the other evening that the private companies were producing gas at less cost to consumers than was charged in Dunedin. That, however, was not tho case. He had made inquiries, and found that the gas waa supplied at less cost here than in any other part of New Zealand. In Oamaru the price was 15s per thousand, in Invercargill 123 Od, in Chnstchurch 11s Bd, in Wellington 10s Od, and in Dunedin 10s. In connection with the proposal to lease tho works, he did not for i. momer.t desire to impute any improper motive) to his opponents, but their zeal in the matter, and their evident desire to put the worst aspect before tho public, might justify a suspicion in that direction. —(Laughter.) He desired as strongly aa oither of his opponents to see the price Of fjaa reduced, but he believed the time waa not distant when they would be able to reduce the price of gas, and to show a substantial profit; but prudence must be exercised in this matter, Mr Spedding had said that it was not possible for the Council to sell the Gasworks, because the Gasworks belonged to the debenture- " holders. It was true that under the debentures first issued the works were held as security, but the original debentures had since been converted into consolidated stock, and consequently the provisions of tho the Act of 1871 would not apply. There was nothing, so far as he could see, to prevent the Council selling the • Gasworks at any time, and the facts he (Mr >» Guthrie)had stated seemed to him tosumcientlyjS1 * show why it would be dangerous to the interests -'' of the citizens for either of his opponents to be elected. Another question of considerable importance was the matter of providing baths. Whilst he admitted that baths were desirable, he must say he did not think there was such a strong desire in this direction upon the part of tho bulk of the citizens as some would have them think. The question wasj Gould they afford baths f That was tHe qttes; t-ibn that itniiiediately concerned the ratepayers. Prom inquiries he had made he had discovered that the cost of constructing a swimming bath 140 ft long by 75ft wide, at thefobtof St. Andrew street, would be £3000. To bring water to the same from Forbury would cost an additional sum of £3800, and to bring it from Black Jack's Point would cost £1600; while for a supply of fresh water an expenditure of £1150 would be necessary. To provide bath 3 would entail an annual charge of about £800 upon the city. He waa not aware that any municipality in the Colonies supplied the citizens with saltwater baths, but believed they all left that matter' to private enterprise. If there was an abundant fresh water supply, baths might be provided, but he miist confess to being a httla alarmed at a proposal to send £8000 on batha and to place an additional charge of £800 per annum upon the rates. At the same time he would promise to give any proposal on the question favourable consideration, and if, when it was submitted to the citizens, they decided in favour of the expenditure, of course there was no more to be said on it. There waa some misapprehension regarding the Baths Eeserve. That reserve waa not specially set apart, and the proceeds from it had been hitherto treated as being for general revenue purposes. It brought in yearly £160155, and; the total rents received to date amounted to £1345. A considerable sum had been expended in its reclamation, and when this and when this and the amount spent in connection with the bd^hs, were sub'tractSdj the balance left was £So 7 4slod. Regarding the Waterworks, he said it was a matter for serious regret that a sufficient water supp'y had not yet been secured. It seemed to him

monstrous that residents on the high levels of the city should be deprived of the water supply for any portion of the day. The large pipes that were being laid down would for a timo remedy the evil, but aa the draw off for the Flat was sura to increase, he feared that before long the Corporation would have to face a larger expenditure in connection with the water supply. Another question that must be dealt with' ere long was the question of drainage. It was not enough to say wo were no worse off in this respect than other places; we ought to ba" better off. —(Applause.) If this matter were long neglected we should be brought to our senses some day by the appearance of an epidemic that would take away hundreds of children, and then should have to blame ourselves for what was well-nigh criminal apathy. Steps should be taken for the formation of a board to undertake the drainage of the whole Valley andi Flat. If returned, he would give his best attention to this matter. The cost of a comprehensive scheme of drainage, he might mention, would reach £100,000 at least. The candidate then gave a statement showing the financial position of the Council, and in concluding his address, said he wished to refer to personal matters. It had been Baid that he ought not to ba elected because he was the youngest councillor that was Btanding for the office. It was true that his opponents had been in the Council longer than he had, but he might say that if bo were returned, it would not be the first time that the youngest councillor had been elected mayor.—(Applause.) Nor did it always follow that the man who had been longest in tha Council had done the mo3t work, or proved the most useful to the citizens. He claimed to have done very hard work in the Council, and to have been more attentive to his duties than either of his opponents had been. Mr Street had been in the Council three years and two months, and had attended Up to September l t 1883, 212 meetings of Council and committee; Mr Spedding had been a councillor tme year and nine ana a-half months, and had attended 91 meetings ; whilst he (Mr Guthiie) in the year and six and a-half months ho had been a councillor had attended IG2 meetings of the Council and committee. It would therefore be seen that, though Mr Spedding had been three months longer in the Council than he (Mr Guthrie) had, he had attended 71 more meetings than Mr Spedding had : and that in progortion to the time they had been in the ouncil Mr Street bad attended 112 meetings less than he (Mr Guthrie) had. What he had

done in the past he would do in the future j and in conclusion he expressed the hope that his attention and devotion to the interests of the citizens would commend his Candida-

ture to their consideration. In reply to questions, Mr Ghthbie said that he was not a member of the firm of Messrs

Guthrie and Larnach, or connected in any way with their business. Cr Street's motion to

have the books of the gas department audited had been withdrawn' by Cr Street after he (Mr Guthrie) had moved aa an amendment that the audit should be made not by the city auditors, but by some other accountants. He thought 103 per 1000 ft too high a price to pay for gas, and could sympathise with Mr Neil, as he (Mr Guthrie) had on two occasions

to pay at the same rate through allowing the 20th of the month to pass without paying his gas account.

Mr Gbo. Brown said that ha believed they would agree that after Or Gutbrie's able exposition of hi 3 views on municipal matters, Cr Guthrie was entitled to the support uf the ratepayers in his present candidature. He moved — That Mr Guthrie is a fit and proper person to fill the Mayoral chair of Duuedin during the ensuing 12 months." Mr IiuiBELL seconded the motion. Mr Dickson moved as an amendment— " That Mr Guthrie is the most fit and proper person to fill the Mayoral chair," Mr Brown accepted the amendment; and on the question being put, the vote of confidence was carried unanimously. MB STREET IN SOUTH WARD. .* Mr Stbbet addressed a large and influential meeting of ratepayers in the Southern Hotel. Some GO or 70 gentlemen were present, and listened with great attention to the candidate. Mr Street, who was frequently applauded, referred to various matters of municipal interest, and answered several questions to the apparent satisfaction of those present. A vote of. confidence was unanimously carried. Mr Street afterwards met some 70 or 80 ratepayers in the Royal Hotel, Walker street. Mr X Sheedy occupied the chair, and iv introducing the candidate referred to his public career ia complimentary terms. Mr Street's address was well received, and at its conclusion a unanimous vote of confidence was taken.

MB SPEDDING IN HIGH WARD,

Mr Spedding, one of the candidates for the civic chair, addressed the ratepayers of High Ward in the Mission Houso, Russell street, last evening. Mr Robert Paterson (of Moots Paterson and M'Leod) acted as chairman, and there were about 100 persons present. The candidate spoke for au hour and a-balf on municipal matters, more particularly on the subject of water supply to the higher leveU of the city, and on the present vexed Suestion of the Gasworks, in regard to which 'o strongly advocated the appointment of a permanent Gas Board, to bo financially undo;1 the immediate control of the Council. Sewaga and drainage were also touched upon. Tc\% candidate answered ia the affirmative the ques* tion whether in his opinion the office of Mayqs should be a rolling one. It was moved by Mr AnnRKW Mercer, and peconded by Mr Rossbottom — " That M? Spedding is the most fit and proper candidato. for Mayor of the city," which wag carried unanimously.

Mr Spedding will speak to-night at Deane."s Hotel in Maitland streot.