DUNEDIN NOTES.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4901, 19 October 1901, Page 3

DUNEDIN NOTES.

' [Own Cobbbbpondent.] 1 Oar worthy Mayor ia not shaping at well as Botae of us would like. H< doesn't seem to be able .to rise to the occasion. He misses bis chances and lets opportunities go by. A meeting was called to consider the question ol providing something in the way of a Christmas box for the boys at the front. Seven people attended. Our silkgowned- Mayor at once suggested the advisability of adjourning, but it was pointed out to him that the first meeting of the original patriotic committee was attended by just about as many, although ultimately the room had to be enlarged to make way for the people. So his Worship let the meeting go on. A gentleman named Major-General Hector MacdoDald is about to visit Dunedin. The news was known over a week ago. Did the Mayor call a meeting of- citizens P Did he appoint a re ception committee P Did he send roun< the hatP Certainly not. Days afte the news bad been published in thi papers he sent a cable to the Mayor o Melbourne saying that the brave ant modest soldier would be warmly wel corned here. That's all. The aotua work of the organising and receptiot has been taken up by our Scotch brothers and, so far, they are the onlj ones stirriog in the matter. Yet these functions must be done bj the Mayor or left, largely, alone, He, officially, represents the city, and the aitizens look to him to take the lead. That is why he is put there. The busi-ness-raan-in-the-chair cry which he relied upon last May is a half farcical cry, The business of the city is done by the permanent officials. All the Council dave to do is to formulate a policy. Its ;onduot is not for them to consider. But, apart from this, the Mayor has shown no wonderful business aptitude. The condition, of city matters is disgraceful. Talk, talk, talk about nothing *nd all the really important work done in secret. The Mayor has foolishly rushed into print to defend the Council from charges of delay, muddledom, and Mismanagement. Nothing, he says, in effect, could possibly have been done iifferently or done better than it has 3een done. Rubbish. I venture the issertion that under Mayor Ghiaholm jhe tramway question would have been ie fctled months ago. It would not, ander our ex-Mayor, have been allowed jo drift into such utter confusion and lilaloriness. You* can always defend with copious arguments and reasons the most indefensible position in the world, md oonvince dunderheads that nothing slse could, would, or ought to have been lone, but the fact will still remain that jhe city and ita method of doing business have become laughing stocks. I ion't blame the Mayor for all of this, [ am not so foolish, but I do say that ihere are certain things a mayor should lo and others that he should not do. In ihe first I include the ability to take the cad in all subjects and functions of imiOrfcanoe — nob feo argue and hesitate and sxplain whether they are, in his opinion, )f importance or not — and in the second lot to enter into a' newspaper correspondence to try and prove that our sity business has been conducted in a >usiness way. We are trying to feel in earnest about he Drainage Board — whether we really ire is another story. I am inclined to hink that we have a large minority in >ur midst who are opposed to a water luppiy, an eleotrio street car service, tnd a drainage system. Water P why >ur tank is never empty and there's lots >f rain in Otago. Electric cars? well, lorses are good enough for me when I ides, which ain't often. Drainage P vaste of money, sir. We have got on or fifty years without it and what do 'on. want to start in now for P Besides, trhat about the rates P Have you hought of them P We may have to pay i matter of one pound ten a year extra or your water, your electricity and roar drains ! What do you make of ihat P And our worthy, bnfc slightly lutof elate, citizen strikes a. match on ,he back of bis pants and lights a pipe , iriumphantly. He has settled the mat>er for all time. There is South Dunedin, for example. -t positively loves bad smells, drainless tomes, and nasty back yards. It latches the wind from the bay and the )ay acts as an unpaid scavenger and )lows the accumulated stinks of many lays oat on to the Pacific. Otherwise .here would be fev«r. But mention im» movements (so called) and hint at a new 'ate, and South Dunedin rises from its )og and tells yon it is the healthiest alace, bar none, outside the Promised Land. Look at the report of the last Council meeting. Cr Kane gained a name and 'ame by affirming before high heaven ;hat he objected to the proposed drainage scheme altogether so far as it con* rorned South Dunedin, BrayQ ( WQ&ti natter though South Dunedin's death ' rate is second to none, if statistics pubished some months ago count for anything. Let the high and haughty dwelers in the mansions of the blest in Dune3in and Roslyn and the adjacent suburbs aave drains if they want them, but don't let them have our pockets to drain in Drder to get them. Dunedin .' spare )ur stinks, we love them everyone, and 3very man who thinks will never want them done. As I have previously pointed out there ire, or were, 22 leading citizens nominated for the nine members of the about-to-be elected Board. As the vast majority of these are not known to anybody the very sensible suggestion was made that a ticket should be selected md the public asked to give their support, if they felt "dispoged" thereto. This would simplify matters considerably. Of course being sensible it was opposed by the Mayor and others. Too American don'tcher know. Therefore we are thrown back upon making enquiries into the antecedents of the gentlemen nominated in order to find Dnt what fcKey are good for. It is an awful task and most of us gave it up in despair when one of the daily papers Rave as a biographical sketch of the 22 aspirants for dabbling in things they don't understand. This is how they read. Jones — keeps a shop —prominent. citizen — makes himself a nuisance by speaking whenever he can, especially if the reporters are about to " take him down." Smith— engaged in business — active and progressive—continually writing letters to the papers to the annoyance of sub-editors and subscribers. Jenkins: three times councillor for the East Ward of the suburban Borough of mud and cesspools, knows a thing* or two and is by trade a plumber in which occupation he has mended I nearly as many drains as he has broken. And so on. lam sure we owe a debt of gratitude to somebody for the informamation. I shall know how to vote now. Onr Grand Opera season is over and we are, now, amusing ourselves by har* ing a hit, through the Press, at the building we term a theatre. We are more disgusted than ever. We think that for six shillings we ought to have a cushioned ohair and a carpet and a well ventilated, comfortable auditorium. I think we want too much. lam certain we want more than we shall get. Madam Janson writes that our New Zealand theatres are "horrid death traps " except, perhaps, ' Wellington's which is equal to a fifth rate European one ! Three cheers for Wellington ! Providence, some months ago, started a fire in the theatre. The powers of darkness interfered and put out the blaze. They evidently objected to any blazes but their own. I am persuaded that those who interfere, with Providence are wicked, bad, naughty people. We have never been so near getting a , new theatre since.