THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1907. A LOCAL DUMA.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8990, 27 November 1907, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1907. A LOCAL DUMA.

i At last the drainage question has cropped up ih the Borough Council, though not in the form that the ratepayers had a right to expect. It is, however, satisfactory to know that what appeared to be a "conspiracy of silence" on the subject was broKen at the ordinary meeting of the council last night. For this desideratum the residents of Masterton have to thank Cr Ewington, whose patience having been exhausted by the "taihoa" policy of the Mayor, was no longer able to restrain his righteous indignation. He spoke out boldly as a man having the interests of his fel-low-citizens at heart should do, and his action will meet with general approbation. He pointedly asked why nothing had been done by the Mayor to carry out the resolution of the council of September last to place a proposal for extending the drainage of the borough before the ratepayers? The council, he said, had given explicit instructions in the matter, and he demanded to know why those instructions had been ignored. To this question tlu Mayor gave the astonishing reply: "Simply because I am not prepared to go on with the matter. When I am prepared to take steps, I will goon with the proposal." For the rest of the discussion we refer our reader to the report published in another column. It is interesting reading, We merely men* tion that the Mayor took lip the attitude that he, and he alone, had the saying and doing in connection with all matteis relating to the im portant subject of drainage extension. The question naturally arises as tu whether we in Masterton have reached the Russian Duma stage, in which the President may accept or reject whatever proposals are agreed upon by the majority? On what authority, we would ask, is the Mayor entitled to take up such an attitude? If a mayor may veto or delay at his pleasure the will of the council, which is the will of the ratepayers, then the council is naught, and the ratepayers are naught, and

there is naught but the mayor. No explanation was offered by His Worship throughout the duologue, last night, beyond saying at the close: "I've been going into the matter carefully, and I'll go on with it when I'm ready." Will the council and ratepayers rest content with this?