MAYORAL INSTALLATION.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1310, 18 December 1886, Page 3

MAYORAL INSTALLATION.

The installation of the Mayor-elect (Mr GK O. Taylor) took place, at the Borough Council Chambers, Lawrence, on Wednesday, at noon. Amongst those present were Crs M'Coy, Chalmers, Walker, and Dodds. Cr Chalmers, as one of the senior members of the Council, said he had much pleasure in welcoming Mr Taylor to the civic chair. The few months which Mr Taylor had been in office as acting-mayor had given them undoubted priof that he possessed the requisite amount of ability for the work, and, he might say, that already his competency for the position had been fairly tested, and they would all agree with him that he had not been _ found wanting. The office of Mayor, though one of high -honour in the town, was perhaps not an enviable one ; for if it had ite advantages, it also had its drawbacks. Mr Taylor entered upon his first term in the civic chair under a serious disadvantage, because the financial position of the Council-would prevent him from gaining popularity by a lavish expenditure on public works. His administration would require to be more in the direction of retrenchment and curbing the spending propensities of the Council than in promoting pew schemes and fresh enterprises. There was certainly a lot to do to make their town what it pught to be, but they would h»re to bide their time ; and they most not forget that they had already accomplished a great deal. They had carried out several important works during the past twelve months, and their resources bad been taxed to tbe fullest without inflicting any additional burden upon the ratepayers. As their expenditure for the next twelve months would necessarily have to be limited they would have to rest upon their oars. The business of the Council had always been conducted in a creditable manner in the past, and he believed that the administration of municipal affairs under Mayor Taylor would be as satisfactory as it had ever been.— (Applause. ) The other councillors present followed in a similar strain. They congratulated the Mayor>elect on his assuming office, and bad every confidence thai while he filled the Mayoral chair the affairs of theßorough would be properly administered. " The Mayor thanked the councillors present for their kind expressions towards himself. He did dot fear that tu,e busi-

ness of the Borough would be conducted in the future as amicably as had been the case in the past, so long as the same interest was shown in tho affairs of the town. Personally, he would endeavour as far as lay i<> his power to carry out the wishes of the Council, and should he not succeed, they could at least rest assured that be had done his best. He had now some months' experience of the duties of Mayor, so that the novelty of the position had in a great measure worn off. Although fully conscious of the honour conferred on him, he was not ignorant of the fact that the office was surrounded by many little annoyances and worries. These were inevitable to public life in any form, and however desirous they might be to avoid them, they would creep up nevertheless ; but they might reconcile themselves frith the knowledge that when they did arise they would be dealt with in that amicable spirit which invariably characterised the pioceedings of the Council. With the limited funds at their disposal, it was impossible to perform the necessary works in one year, and some ratepayers were sure to be disappointed, and, of course, thereby have * grievance — moat likely against the Mayor. In undertaking the duties of Mayor, he did so with no Btnall amount of trepidation, which even their kind expressions of confidence had not been altogether able to allay. To successfully complete the works in course of progress, or about to be undertaken, and keep the finances in a sound condition, would require the utmost forbearance on the part of councillors in asking for any new works. They had just completed laying a mile of water mains through the most populous streets in the town — a work which could not fail to be a source of great convenience to a large number of ratepayers. As they were all aware, this work had been done out of the ordinary revenue— a feat seldom performed by any municipal body in New Zealand. The practice adopted in most towns where these large works are undertaken was to obtain the consent of the ratepayers to a loau for the purpose, and a permanent debt on the town was thus created. In the case of Lawrence, however — though they would very likely feel tbeir straitened circumstances for a short time, they were creating a new source of revenue which would ultimately be of great benefit. Before concluding, ho would just like to expresa his indebtedness to the Town Clerk for the ready and cheerful manner in which he had rendered him him every assistance during the time he had been acting - mayor. He (Mr Taylor) had been called upon quite unexpectedly to undertake the duties of the office, and if he had succeeded in acquitting himself satisfactorily, the credit was in a very great measure due to the assistance of Mr Uren.— (Applause.) The statutory declaration was then subscribed to and the proceedings terminated.