CIVIC GOVERNMENT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23504, 19 May 1938, Page 7

CIVIC GOVERNMENT

NEW-MAYOR INSTALLED

KEEN 7 PUBLIC INTEREST

MR ALLEN CONGRATULATED At the statutory meeting of the City Council for the installation of the Mayor-elect in the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall yesterday the Rev. E. T. Cox retired from the position of Chief Magistrate, which he had held for five years, and relinquished the symbols of office to Mr A. H. Allen, who assumed the chairmanship of the meeting after signing the customary declaration.. The hall was filled to overflowing, and the new Mayor and Allen were accompanied on the stage by the recently-elected councillors, several retiring members of the council and civil officials.

In his valedictory remarks Mr Cox referred to the achievements of the retiring council, and the Mayorelect, in reply, made brief reference to the first duty of the new council, which would be the preparation of the unusually delayed municipal budget .. The Mayor and Mayoress were'heartily congratulated on theirj election by the retiring Mayor and also by the councilloriS present. At the conclusion of the formal business, which included votes of thanks to the ex-Mayor and the retiring councillors, the Mayor moved an adjournment until the evening, when his nominations'for. the councils standing committees would be received. • *

Mr Cox Retires

The retiring Mayor, said that the office of Mayor was; -not only both ancient and honourable, dating back in British history to the Norman period, from, which it had evolved from the local government of AngloSaxon times, but it was the highest office that the city could confer upon any citizen". Election by popular vote gave the occupant even more prestige than in ancient times,;as-he sat to,the. chair with the consent of the people. " During my perioidl of office" Mr Cox said,' .' it has been my duty to proclaim the accession to the Throne of two Sovereigns and- fcpf lead th* qity in the lament on the death of our beloved King George V; to welcome the now Heir Presumptive, the Duke of Gloucester* to say farewell to one GovernorGeneral and to welcome another; to greet in civic state two Prime Ministers, and to represent the; city at the Melbourne Centenary celebrations. Among important continued, completed, or begun Sire the Deep Creek water supply, the tunnel at Waipori, the Anderson's Bay reservoir, and, with the co-operation Of the Government under the wages subsidy plan, Lindsay's Creek widening, the Leith flood protection works,' v and the six and nine-inch water mains through the city." The 1935-38 council, he said, broke away from the traditional policy " that the concern of the council lies in roads and. bridges, transport, gas, electricity, water and general health," adding to these the care and well-being of the citizens. This social reconstruction plan involved; the recognition that every citizen by virtue of his citizenship, was entitled to live in a measure of comfort and security. To this end a sum of money was set aside during its first year of office by which the council could supplement the meagre earnings of a large section of the community, who were on the pay roll of the city under the designation of unemployed. These unfortunates had their weekly pay . envelope increased by sums ranging from 10s to £1 0s 6d according to the! number of their dependents. In this method of affording relief, the council also broke new ground in that it did away with the traditional method of soup kitchens and long queues of suppliants waiting for gifts of food and clothing. The innovation was intended to meet the needs of the unemployed without wounding their self-respect, a distinct cleavage l , from the system of benevolent despotism that had soured the lives of such people during the past two centuries. . The second part of the plan was concerned with housing. Its purpose was to enable industrious and thrifty young people to acquire their own homes with small deposits on loans at a cheap rate of interest and easy terms of repayment. The third ; part of the plan was embodied in the acquirement of additional areas for recreational purposes to meet the growing demands of the sporting public. Finally,, the men on day wages and the weekly wage earners, who were laid aside by sickness, received sick pay, a privilege hitherto granted only to the salaried staff. In these respects he claimed that the 1935-38 council would stand out in the history of this Dominion for its experimental legislation in social idealism.

In conclusion Mr Cox expressed to the citizens generally his deep personal gratitude for the unfailing courtesy extended to the Mayoress and himself on all public occasions and at . private functions. (Applause.)

Mayor-elect's Keply The Mayor-elect, in reply, said he desired to take that further opportunity of thanking the citizens of Dunedin for the high honour conferred upon him by his election as Mayor of Dunedin for the ensuing three years. It was indeed. a very great distinction to be elevated to the position of chief magistrate of one's native city. • He wished also to thank Mr Cox for the gracious manner in which he had referred to his interest in the welfare of Dunedin and its citizens, and he could assure all of his'desire to do everything possible for .'every citizen. His aim would be to dissociate party politics from the civic administration of the city and to give equal consideration to each councillor.— (Aoplause.) The council would immediately commence its duties, and. its first function would be to prepare the budget for the current year, which, had custom been followed, would have been undertaken last month by the "outgoing council. He realised that they faced a difficult financial position owing to the normal income of the corporation being altogether inadequate to meet the heavy standard of expenditure set during the past two years. If they were obliged to reduce expenditure it would be by a tanering off process to minimise hardship to anyone. The city's rate income was usually received In December, but owing to delayed preparation of the budget, rates would not now be due for payment until February next. Mr Allen said he would be ably supported by the Mayoress (Mrs Allen) i» the social activities of the

people—(applause), and he asked for the loyal and willing co-opera-tion of every councillor. If that were given he hoped it the end of his term that no one would regret the confidence placed in the present council at the recent election. He welcomed to the council table all his councillors, and especially the new members, Crs Henderson, Walls, Smith, McCrae, Gibson, Borrie, Wilson and Taverner. He expressed the hope that they would enjoy their work and was sure the citizens would benefit from their wide experience in the business world.— (Applause.) Mayor Takes Office

The robes and chains of the mayoral office were then removed from Mr Cox, and, amid loud applause and cheering, he invested Mr Allen with them. "Your Worship," Mr Cox said, " in investing you with these robes and chains of office I wish to assure you that they are but the symbols of your authority—an authority that came to us directly from his Majesty the King through his representative, the Governor of this Dominion, to found our city I know you will wear these emblems with dignity and honour, and with credit to the city and yourself. I most heartily congratulate you." Mr Cox then called on the Mayor to sign the statutory declaration, and this was done amidst loud applause.

Councillors' Tributes

The first of the councillors to speak was Cr Cameron, who topped the poll at the election. In congratulating Mr Allen and Mrs Allen, he recalled occasions when he and the Mayor had played cricket and bowls together, and congratulated the citizens on having chosen as chief magistrate a man who had put a great deal Of work into the time he had served as a member of the City Council. "I find myself the oldest sitting councillor from the point of view of length of service," said Cr Munro, M.P., "and I heartily congratulate Mr Allen on his achievement. Although as councillors we do not often see eye to eye, I want to say that I shall, to the best of my ability, help the Mayor and the other members of the council in the running of the affairs of the city. I anr, disappointed in some ways, but it is good that we should have a change, and at the end of three years the citizens will be able to judge whether or not the change has been for the better. We hope that it will prove to be for the better." Cr McMillan offered his congratulations to the Mayor and the new councillors and assured them that in the passage of any proposals designed for the good of all the people they would have his whole-hearted support. In such matters there was at; all times room for an honest difference of opinion, but there need be no personal issues raised. AH of the other councillors present spoke briefly, congratulating the Miayor on his accession to office and returning thanks to the electors.

Tribute to Mr Cox ' A high tribute to the standard maintained by Mr Cox during his five years of office was paid by Mr Allen When moving a vote of thanks to the retiring Mayor. "I should like to say how much we appreciate the high standard of efficiency Mr Cox has set in this office," said Mr Allen. "It will be difficult for me to attain to it, but nevertheless I shall do my best to aspire to the very' high standard indeed that has been established by Mr Cox." The following motion of appreciation was then carried amid applause:— "That the thanks of the Dunedin City Council be tendered to E. f. Cox, Esq., for the highly efficient services rendered by him to the city of Dunedin during his terms of office as Mayor for the years 1933-35-38, and that this resolution be recorded in the minutes, and an engrossed copy be presented to Mr Cox." Appreciation of the services of the retiring councillors was expressed in the following motion: — " That the thanks of the Council be tendered to Messrs W. A. Scott, W Begg, F. W. Mitchell, M. Silverstone,. P. Neilson, M.P., W. W. ' Batchelor and R. Harrison for the faithful services rendered by them in the interests of the city as councillors." Mr Allen referred to the lengthy service given to the city by Mr Begg, who had been a -councillor for 24 years, and Mr Scott (23 years), and also referred to the retirement of Mr Mitchell, whom he described as one of the soundest men with whom he had ever been associated. Expressing appreciation of the untiring energy of Mr Silverstone during his five vears as a member of the City Council, Mr Allen said that although some people might not agree with his policy,, he thought they would agree as to the sincerity with which he had discharged his duties.

ST. KILDA BOROUGH

THE NEW COUNCIL INSTALLATION CEREMONY A statutory meeting of the newlyelected St. Kilda Borough Council was held last evening, when the Mayor (Mr J. J. Marlow) and the councillors were installed. Besides the Mayor, there were present Crs N. D. Anderson, G. Glue, R. S. Brent, E. Long-worth, J. H. Hinton, W. Rutherford, J. C. Cherry, T D B. Roy and H. H. Johnson. After the customary declarations had been signed, the Mayor expressed his appreciation of the work done by ex-Cr W. J. Davidson during his term of office, and extended a welcome to the new member of the council, Cr H. H. Johnson. During the past three years, Mr Marlow

said, the St. Kilda Council had been a happy body. Realising that it had a duty to perform for the benefit of the ratepayers, it had confined itself to conducting the business of the borough in the most efficient manner possible, and had always kept clear of any attempt to introduce national politics into its proceedings. During his term of office it would be his aim to see that his most vigorous opponents as well as his most ardent supporters would receive equal justice.

Deputy Mayor Cr N. D. Anderson was appointed Deputy Mayor.

Drainage Board Representatives • The Mayor and Cr Glue were appointed as the council's representatives on the Dunedin Drainage and Sewerage Board. Committee Chairmen On the recommendation of the Mayor the following were appointed chairmen of the various committees: Finance, Cr Glue; Works, Cr Hinton; Reserves, Cr Roy, the full council to act on the committees. Next Meeting It was agreed that the next meeting of the council would be held on May 30, and every alternate Monday thereafter. COMPLIMENTARY FUNCTION MAYOR OF DUNEDIN HONOURED Subsequent to the meeting a function was held in the supper room of the Coronation Hall, the Mayor of Dunedin (Mr A. H. Allen) and the Deputy Mayor (Mr D. C. Cameron) being the guests of honour. Among the other guests present were, several ex-councillors and four ex-mayors of the borough. A Record of Service Proposing the toast of "The Mayor," Mr Allen congratulated Mr Marlow on his re-election to the mayoral chair, and said he considered that the borough was fortunate in having as its chief magistrate a man with such a long and varied experience in public life. Mr Marlow had served for 15 years on the Dunedin City Council and for 23 years on the Drainage Board, and without hesitation it Could be said that if he had received the just reward of his services to the community, he would long since have been Mayor of Dunedin. As Deputy Mayor of Dunedin, also, he had discharged his duties with credit to himself and distinction to the city. He had been chairman of the Works Committee and chairman of the Electric Power and Lighting Committee during the four most difficult years in the history of that department. -He had always been impressed, Mr Allen continued, with Mr Marlow's clear insight and reasoning; he was, in fact, one of the finest committeemen with whom he had ever sat. He had a grip of municipal matters that was nothing less than remarkable, and there was no doubt that under his able guidance and undoubted administrative ability, the borough would progress. Replying to the toast, Mr Marlow mentioned that he had a record of 41 years in the service of the public, which, he considered, was almost unique, and he looked back on that period with a good deal of pride, and with pleasure that he had been able to serve his fellow citizens. Mr Marlow went on to recall that, in 1913, when the Electric Power and Lighting Department of the City Corporation had been called a white elephant, he had predicted that the department would eventually prove the most profitable of all the city s ventures. He was proud of the fact that his prediction had come true. The New Council

The toast, "The New Council," was in the hands of Mr J. W. Dove Mr Dove expressed satisfaction that the electors of St. Kilda had returned to power a body of men who would do their best for the district, knowing that their sound judgment would be accepted by the ratepayers. That their work during the past three years had been m the best interests of the borough was confirmed by the fact that they had again been returned, and he trusted that when their term was past they would again gain the goodwill of the community and come back once more to serve the public. Cr Anderson replied, and said that St. Kilda, for many years past, had been recognised as a training ground for some of the highest possible positions on local bodies, the borough was lucky again to have as its Mayor a man of the calibre of Mr Marlow, whose experience in local body matters should prove invaluable, and do much towards ensuring that the business of the council would be conducted in the best interests of the ratepayers.

"Our Big Neighbour"

"There is no city in New Zealand which controls so many amenities as Dunedin. It. has no peer in the southern hemisphere, said Mr Marlow in proposing the toast Uur Big Neighbour." The citizens had been fortunate in having been served years ago by men who had the vision to see the benefits that would accrue to the city through securing and retaining a monopoly of the supply of water, gas, and electric power and light. The city's afforestation scheme, which now called tor the planting of 1000 acres of trees per annum, was leaving a wonderful heritage for posterity St Kilda had for the city what might be called the admiration of a little boy for a big brother, and there was no question that the same friendly relations would long continue. In conclusion, Mr Marlow paid a high tribute to Mr Allen, who, he said, had never performed any public action which he did not know was for the benefit of his fellow men. On behalf of the borough he extended to Mr and Mrs Allen a happy and successful term of office Mr Allen prefaced his reply to the toast by saying that the interests ui the borough and the city were identical, and that they must grow with one another. Relatively, Dunedin was the strongest financial centre in the southern hemisphere, a position that was due entirely to the councillors of the past To-day the city possessed the largest municipal afforestation scheme in the British Empire. What wealth this scheme represented was difficult to calculate, but it would be some years yet before the city would reap the benefit Mr Allen also referred to the sound state of the city's insurance fund, and briefly traced the development of the Deep Creek water scheme He pointed out that had it not been for the augmented supply brought in by this scheme the city would have been out of water by January last In view of the fact that this shortage would "lso have affected St Kilda, he felt sure that any future proposal to increase the borough's water charges would not be objected to by the ratepayers.

Other Toasts Other toasts honoured were " Past Mayors of the Borough" (proposed by Cr Longworth and replied to by

Messrs Dove, A. D. Edgar, J. Beattie and D. C. Cameron), "The Staff" (proposed by Cr Roy and replied to by the town clerk, Mr J. V. Terzise), and "The Organiser of the 'Blue Ticket'" (proposed by Crs Glue, Brent and Johnson, and replied to by Cr Hinton).

GREEN ISLAND BOROUGH INSTALLATION OF CR ORANGE CR FREEMAN APPOINTED DEPUTY MAYOR Cr G. A. Orange, who was elected unopposed as Mayor of the Green Island Borough, was last night installed by the retiring Mayor (Mr T. M. McAhan) and invested with his chain office. Cr C. R. Freeman, who polled the most votes at the elections on May 11, was elected Deputy Mayor, but only after the new Mayor's motion that Cr T. G. Tomkins should be appointed to the position had been defeated on a strictly party vote. Cr McAhan said that it gave him great pleasure to invest the new Mayor with his chain of office, and he was pleased to see that some members of the old council were present because he wished to congratulate them on their excellent service to the borough He had enjoyed his term of office greatly, and although there had been differences of opinion, it was afe to say -hat the retiring council had accomplished something in the interests of the district. In particular the old council had seen the conclusion of the new drainage scheme, which was a great boon to the people. He was also pleased, Cr McAhan continued, with the kerbing and channelling work done during the past three years. The gangs had made good progress, and he hoped they would continue with the work during the present council's term. Cr Orange came forward that night, Cr McAhan said, in the fine position of being able to say that as a result of his nomination there had been no election. The new Mayor had been on the council for 11 years and had held many important positions, chief of them being chairman of the Works Committee. In this position he had pushed forward many works of a permanent nature, and was worthy to, be installed as Mayor of the borough. Cr McAhan then invested the Mayor with the chain of office, and Mr Orange took the oath. He ana the new councillors then signed the statutory declarations. "It is a great honour for me to be in this position to-night," the Mayor said "I have served the borough to the best of my ability for the past U years and have served on every committee. During the last three years more permanent works have been done than at any other time." He was sorry, he continued, that so many councillors of the last council had severed their connection with it, because they had served faithfully and well, and it was unfortunate that they had left when thev had learned so much that was of value. There had been some heated arguments at the meetings, but they had all been for the good of the borough, and there had been nothing of a Personal nature introduced. He did not think that the present council would receive the same assistance from the Government as the last one had done, because the drainage scheme was practically finished. If they did get assistance, however, good work would be done. The Mayor concluded by thanking Cr McAhan for his remarks. , i„x„j Cr T G. Tomkins congratulated the Mayor on behalf of the present and retiring councillors. ELECTION OF DEPUTY MAYOR The Mayor then moved that Cr Tomkins should be appointed Deputy Mayor, the motion being seconded by Cr McAhan. Cr J. A. Callery opposed the motion on the grounds that Cr C R. Freeman had topped the poll at tne election. For that reason his name had been put forward. He understood that that was always the procedure followed. Cr Gallery moved as an amendment— That Cr tree man be appointed Deputy Mayor." Cr Tomkins said he recognised that the people had cast their votes strongly in favour of the Labour Party* and they were quite right m electing a Deputy Mayor from the ranks, but he could not see why they had passed Cr E. Hopewell, who was the senior councillor The Mayor said he could not remember such an occurrence in the history of the borough He felt it Kis duty to appoint Cr Tomkins who had given excellent service. It had always been the prerogative of the Mayor to appoint his committees, and he took it as an insult that his selection was questioned. _ ' The amendment was carried by seven votes to one. The following standing committees were appointed:— Finance Committee.—Full council. Chairman, Cr T. G. Tomkins. Drainage Committee. Full council. Chairman, Cr C. R. Freeman. Public Works Committee.—Crs J. A Callery (chairman), E. Hopewell, T* Robson, C. R. Freeman. J. Boomer. ... Water and Lighting Committee.— Crs T H. McAhan (chairman), T. D. Mason, T. G. Tomkins. F. C. Johns. E. Hopewell. Reserves and Cemetery Committee __Crs E. Hopewell (chairman), J. A. Callery. T. L. Mason, T. Robson. ~ _ T Kinema Committee. —Crs J. Boomer (chairman), T. G. Tomkins, C. R. Freeman, E. Hopewell.