MAYORAL ELECTION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 11249, 13 April 1908, Page 2

MAYORAL ELECTION.

ITo the Editor of the Herald.) Sir,—We frequently hear of persons appearing 1 m various phases of life m borrowed plumes, but it is not often that a. candidate for public office is so unwise as to do so; but m your columns I notice an address to the burgesses by Dr Williams, m which he appears m Mr Lysnar's last year's mantle. First, therein he claims that he is progressive; a man is known by the company he keeps, as we shall see later on.- Second, sanitation '.as' a question on which there is hardly a dissentient. Third, the water supply haslgone so far that with or without Dr Williams it must go on to completion m the ordinary course. Fourth, Dr Williams says our streets and roads are m a deplorable condition. What has he done m the past as a. Councillor to try and remedy this? Did the Council of which he was a member back up their engineer on the metal question? No. Fifth, frequent appeals have been made to the Council of which Dr Williams was a member, with very poor results. Sixth, the proposed municipalisation of the gas works was brought up last year by. Mr Lysnar at his first committee meeting, but: m view of so many important and costly works then (and now) before the community, viz., water supply, drainage, and outer harbor, the committee deemed it inadvisable to take up such a question until the more important questions indicated had been disposed of. Seventh, the question of a. continuous telephone service was advocated over 12 months ago by Mr Lysnar at the Gisborne branch of the Farmers' Union. Terms were arranged with the Telephone Department, and Mr Lysnar had the district canvassed for the necessary guarantee, and only failed for the want of a few more signatures. Can Dr ■ Williams as . Mayor or otherwise do more m this matter than Mr Lysnar has already done? Is he entitled to any credit m this, past or present? Eighth, this is a. question for'the Hospital doctor and Board to deal with. Ninth, Dr Williams declares himselfi m favor of an outer harbor. What is the company he is keeping? Who are.his chief supporters? Who? The men who have consistently oppose,d the scheme; the men who petitioned Parliament against it; the men who, went to Wellington to block the Bill becoming law; the men who have vested interests m ditch, otherwise known as the riyer; the men who own half the vacant sections m the- town; the men who have m their selfishness kept Gisborne back for; the last quarter, of a century. These/are!;Dr Williams' supporters; this is the company he is keeping. Can it be supposed that these men will bring out a: man whose policy is m opposition to their owa? Where, then, is the possibility of the progress he talks about m his first paragraph? Tenth, as for the river reserve, this is bunkum, to catch votes. Where is tlie money to pay for it? Eleventh, what can the Mayor do that a citizen cannot m the way of railway 1 mat. tei\s? Can Dr Williams hope, to <Iqv better work than is being done by our Railway League ? Twelfth, Dr Williams may well have faith m the- future development of Gisboroe, seeing that despite all that his friends or supporters could do m the past by locking up the lands, -by tying up the port, by squandering the people's money uselessly m. the river,' and by various other acts of commission or omission, Gisborne has progressed, and will continue to do so ; but its progress might have been much faster if Dr Williams* friends and supporters had been in — ' < /TIMBUCTOO,