MAYORAL INSTALLATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 116, 7 May 1908, Page 4

MAYORAL INSTALLATION.

The install.tiion of the Mayor-elect of !' New Plymouth, Mr. C. Ti-eh, took place | yesterday morning. There were present: HU V\oi?lii J » the Mayor (Mr. K. Dockrill/, UJia ljuuu, lid,, ringer. (_'ol«uian, West. L'ullis. Jlori-i, Cattli-y. and iiiowne, and a nmiilwr oi I ratt-pauTS.

•ilr Doekrill >aid tliat jui.u- 1,1 vaulting tin- ili.iir In- vvfjulil lik ( . lo lwicw his two year-' term of ollir.-. Whci he in - fleeted two works ill connection with the ♦-xj.t-inliturc- of the loan- were i'l a very trad state. A- al the in-ital-lition in I!Mj7, Mr. IWkiill spoke at ■ me length ronci-riiiiij; the failure to • fcciltally jeal the leak in the w.iiertunnel, and to obtain sati-fae--1 'TV results from the .-.l'jitir tank. I'nlli t these work- liad Iwi-n eheaplv and e\i editioiisly arcoiniili-Hcl l,y _\i;. A. It. Kendall, the jiresent liorimjih engineer. '.Jr. Doekrill also elainieil tli 11 i.i the

tunnel repairing h<* had outliuea in the Council nn-vtiup: th«' proper meliiud of procedure. lra>in«; hi> opicixii upon hiroininj; «x|>erieni*c. Mr. Ivn.UH'* >nhsequent o|MTation- w.'re < n oswet\y similar lines 'lhe >eptir i-nk. which from I its inefiicieul working menace to public health, wa- <|uiekly remedied by Mr. K<ndail. and the pre vimi.« enginccrV expedient of emptying it by of u >h»vel in the early

hour* of the morning \va- tlnis di>|K»nsed with. Cuming lin.ue-.'. Worship said th;u wiieu t<,ok ollii-c the tinaneiiil pO'ili>»n vva- anyiliing huL satisfactory. M«»re than C4iHH) had l>4>en advanced from the jreiwral fund to th" electric light hum aeeoimt. There was little ditlicultv in >eeuring the authority of the ratepayer- to rai-e a loan to liquidate that amount, a- well for electric light extensions, but the Treasury declined to grant the ban to pay for work already done. A validating Bill had to be put through the House, and no one had any idea «-f the amount of work entailed in tiehting the I'pper House opposition to the I»ilL But for his success in that matter the borough would have found itself on short commons last year. He then reviewed the receipts and expenditure of the pn-t year, pointing to n very sati-f;irt<>ry re

cord. lie h;id t<» t-oii^rratulato tie* Council and me ratepayers upon the present financial position. Kvery Joan account was iu credit. beside.- the Cll-34 7s 2d to tin* credit of the general a---count. He was pleased to be able to leave the Council with its finances so much better than when he was elected. He felt now that lie was entitled to re-' tire, having held the rein- until the finances shaped them*«lve«» -.ni-Uctoi ily. With the stat«* oi chaos of bin previous year <>' «»tliee he had felt it would be a mi-take tor him to leave the chair. Mr. Dotkrill thou went on to express hi?, appreciation o/ the .sop vices rendered by the councillors and of th** assistance at all times ehceriully givi»n. In a very long i»>cpcricnce in municipal experience he iiad never worl:ed in a better touncll.. or one more imbued with tin- desire to conserve and further the intcivHt a 0 t the ratepayer*, who o»uld thoroughly r«iy upon their representative. IU- :<»!t In- could as mho the -Mayor-i-livi oj the .-upport oi" the Council. Mr. iMckri:! -lid he was :il«0 under jrre.it obligation- t .i the members of the aIT, mentioning tie- Town Clerk. engiiner>. ami lorcinan. Concluding. he >aid he would again return his thank.- to the ratepayer who had elected him to the Mayoralty. a potion be had held longer than any other Occupant ot New Plymouth's .Mayoral chair.

Mr. Tisch then signed the usual for mal declaration, which was \vitno>>od by Mr. Collis as senior Councillor. Mr. J>►r-krill then gav e up hi* position to the new Mayor, who, addre.-«ing th" Council, said lie felt somewhat embarrassed in taking the seat, following upon Mr. Doekrill who had years' service to hi c credit. Tho=e years had been year? of hard work. Various important scheme, for the betterment of the borough had been lurmulatcd. the loans raised, and tlfco works put in hand. It mu-t W gratifying for Mr. Doekrill to know upon leaving the chair, that all those works were now in a satisfactory condition. When he lirst entered the Council. Mr Doekrill was Mayor, and he considered himself one of thai pupil-. lie trusted that bis term of oilitv would be >uch that the nouhl never regret his election. He accepted Mr. Dockrill's of the < o-o|*>ration of the Councillor-. ;ind sai.l he Would do hi-ntino-t to retain t'uit lie bad -at wiili -ontr oi tin- Councillor* in ! the and he fill -i.ir that they l'id the \U'!i.ii> <>f {]\>> ,i| heart. At th. !e . :i t rh'i-iion two ot the C"un-ilior- had conh-*ied the Mayoralty. bat til.' had decided in hi- favor. Jle had the a.«Mir:inen of rho-e Coiui; iii'n- !ia' they would him to the „f their übilitv in carrying on the work of the borough. He intended to follow upon the progrc*ive lines of !a-t year, doing work ol .1 permanent nature mi extending tootpaths and kerbin:: and channelling. A matter to whi* h ln» >\ouid devote some time wa* thv imprmemvnt of the esi planade. Tor ;.car- he and other New Plymouth people iiad been expectantly looking forward to the establishment of the oil and iron-ami industries here, whilst they neglected tie «levelopment of this great as-et. He knew of no other feature that loiihl he made so attractive to visitor- than an Improved >eafront, for which he intended to formulate a tchem*. Jle also proposed to call a public meeting with a view of arranging for Christmas week .-nine entertainment for the big crouds of seaside visitors and for a still greater number. He intended to devote some of his time to the accomplishment of a Greater New Plymouth. Ho had in his possession figure,- showing the amount to be gained by Yo«vltown residents in joining the borough. He would have figures prepared concerning all the adjacent road district-, and have a map of a proposed Greater New Plymouth prepared. *o as to lav the

matter fully before the people most vitally concerned. New Plymouth was a very small borough, comprising only 800 acres, whilst there were others in the colony embracing 4000. UOOO. and Stum acre-. Thn. he thoiiglit, ought anil could be nuide one of the finest boroughs in the Dominion, lie intend-1

Ed to '"do his whack"' in tlu- working of borough affairs, ami lie would take"his -hare of committee work. Mr. \\. A. Collis. as senior Councillor and one of the candidates at the Mayoral election, congratulated I lie Mayor upon his a-*umption of oltice. and hint of hi- co-operation and -upport. Mr. Fred lieMriiigcr. the ~t1,,M- eniidi- j date, .