Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News. THURSDAY, MARCH, 4,1909 THE MAYORALTY AND THE BOROUGH COUNCIL ELECTION

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4381, 4 March 1909, Page 2

Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News.

THURSDAY, MARCH, 4,1909 THE MAYORALTY AND THE BOROUGH COUNCIL ELECTION

This above all —to thine own self be true , And it must follow as the night the day Jhou canst not then be false to any man Shakespeare.

R. L. Somers Esq., who has for three years occupied the position of Mayor of the Borough of Te Aroha has, in accordance with his.formerly declared intention, declined to accede to the request of the influential deputation which recently waited upon him desiring his consent to permit himself to be nominated to the position for a fourth year. Mr Somers has been popular, having worked amicably with his council, and for the various schemes to which he has lent the weight of his approval and promotion the borough will ever be indebted to him. The new traffic bridge and the extensions to our water and the electrical supplies have been introduced dur ;

ing the period of his Mayoralty, while our sanitation has been steadily pushed on. The question naturally arises: “ Who will come forward to occupy the vacant position?” . Several names suggest themselves to the mind, the name of Councillor Hubbard naturally standing out conspicuously among them, by reason of his peculiar qualifications, and also by reason of the yeoman service which as councillor he has already rendered the Borough. Moreover, Mr Hubbard, being a retired gentleman, is in a position to give an amount of time to the business of the Borough which one in less leisured circumstances could not possibly spare. In fact he has already devoted the practical knowledge, which his former calling of road and bridge contractor secured for him, to the service of the borough in a truly lavish manner, and his- personal inspection of the various schemes connected with the Council’s operations has been a j generous asset to the borough. But unfortunately, in an interview with which Mr Hubbard favoured us, he has expressed his unwillingness to j stand as Mayor. For reasons which we are not at liberty to discuss, Mr Hubbard does not see his way to stand as Mayor, except in case of extreme urgency; though he is willing to offer his services as councillor at the forthcoming election. It is to be hoped that he may be induced to reconsider this matter, for the concensus of opinion, based upon his most generous performance as a councillor, points to him as the one best qualified to assume the honours of the Mayoralty. As a candidate for re-election to membership on the Borough Council his return is certain, as candidate for the Mayoralty it would be no less assured.

We are fortunately in the position to mention with certainly two other names of gentlemen who are prepared to come forward as candidates for the councillorship, namely Messrs H. Jackson, and G. Lovegrove. Mr Jackson, has declared his intention of offering his services once again to his fellow-townsmen, and there can be no doubt as to the result. Mr Jackson has practical knowledge of reading and drainage, gained through personal experience in these branches of public works. He is acquainted with the history of the first drain laid down in Te Aroha, having been here from the time of the first drainage operations. Besides this Mr Jackson ‘has proved himself to be of a mind to grasp the pros and cons of the various matters which come before the Council for deliberation, and to offer a thoughtful opinion thereupon. This power to thoughtfully weigh the merits of a case is one of the first qualifications of those holding office on municipal councils, and we have no doubt that Councillor H. Jackson will meet with the renewed support of the rate* payers. Mr George Lovegrove, whilst not yet occupying a place upon the Borough! Council, is too wellknown and too popular, for his friends to entertain any doubt as to his candidature for municipal honours proving successful. With the progressiveness of the constitutionally optimistic, yet a thoroughly practical business man, Mr Lovegrove comes before the ratepayers as one who has a decided interest in the advancement of the town and surrounding district. Possessed of initiative and a foresight to anticipate the developments of the future, Mr | Lovegrove has a keen desire to see things moving ahead. We shall look with confidence to the results of the Borough Council election to see his name included in the list of successful candidates.