The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1908. THE BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2292, 10 September 1908, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1908. THE BOROUGH COUNCIL.

There is much that is delightfully simple about the present conduct of .Borough affairs. Councillors forogatlier periodically around an im-posing-looking table in a very large room and for hour after hour consider weighty topics of local concern with an earnestness that is quite in keeping with the gravity of the subject. His AA'orship the Mayor expends enough physical energy to earn -the heartfelt gratitude of the citizens, as lie alternately pleads with and threatens his stubborn flock in order that they may give effect to fantastic dreams whereby the town of Gisborne is to leap at one bound into the forefront of Dominion cities, municipally speaking. Tuesday night's meeting is a fair sample of the kind of thing that goes on. The Council met at- 7.30 p.m. and did not adjourn until close on half-past twelve. The greater portion of this time was spent in listening to lengthy and frequent addresses from HisAYorsliip, who was almost continuously on his feet. First came an oration on the virtues of - a 'locomotive crano which was to pay for itself ,in a twelve-month, then another on behalf of a Straker waggon, after which His AA’orship sailed cheerfully into his favorite topic of loans for works that ho contends should bo paid for by posterity. Fifty thousand pounds was the sum which lie desired the Councillors to agree to as an amount the ratepayers might reasonably be expected to borrow, and the more he talked, the more attractive did his proposals seem, until lie became fairly intoxicated with his own eloquence. Every interjection, every expression of dissent, merely acted as a spur to further loquacity, and so the night wore oil. Rarely would ho cease except when a Councillor rose to make a few remarks, and the latter was scarcely in his seat before Air. Lysnar was again on foot, thus following ’ each Councillor with another speech of his own. The keynote of his methods throughout was a deadly earnestness for the cause ho was advocating, which caused him to pass by unheeded annoyances and jibes that a more sensitive person would resent. Now and again his imperturbability would bo momentarily ruffled and he would turn fiercely round on his interrupter, and once he rounded sharply on the Borough Overseer for having, as lie alleged, presented an inaccurate report. (So far as the Councillors’ part in the meeting was concerned, they appeared to treat the Mayoral effusions with good-natured tolerance, exchanging winks and nods when the speaker’s utterances became more than usually extravagant. Dktculsions across the table were frequent and, although the sense of humor which appears to bo the saving feature of the situation prevented anything in the nature -of disorder, at the same time there was an entire absence of the business-like methods that one expects to see at a Counciltable. The net result of this unfortunate state of affairs is that, although meetings are dragged out to an inordinate length, there is nothing tangible to show for the time spent. No one can deny the sincerity of the Alnyor nor the energy lie displays in endeavoring to carry through what he conceives t<> be for the interests of the Borough, but hie schemes are so faulty an their conception, so crude in construction and are advocated in so blundering and factless a manner that n 0 practical good can result, The record of the last Council was poor enough in all conscience but present indications are that the present year will be still more barren.