THE MAYORALTY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2485, 26 April 1909, Page 5

THE MAYORALTY.

MR. W. D. LYSNAR’S CANDIDA* TUBE. 0 P EN-AIR Al. E ETING. Notwithstanding the fact that Saturday evening was cold and bleak, and with every indication of rain, a crowd of several hundred- persons gathered in front of the “Herald” office in Gladstone Road to hear an address from Mr. \V. T). Lysnar, the present Mayor, who is seeking re-election. Air. It. Al. Birl ell acted as chairman, and a number of supporters -of the candidate occupied seats on the balcony. < The Chairman, after a brief speech, said hq. would ask the audience to give the candidate a fair-end impartial hearing- . i-e Air -Lysnar said that it-was with great pleasure he took that opportunity of addressing the people on municipal matters. He had been Alayor of the town for 12 months, which lie felt to be a term of probation, and he took it to be his duty to come forward and explain f-o the ratepayers what had been done, what should have been done, and what might have been done. In dealing first with the question of the form of administration as it stands to-day, be claimed that the system in vogue in the borough was wrong. He had seen tiiis. and had done ins best to make a change, but he had not been supported, and had been unable to do so. Some -of the Councillors had aided him. but- the majority of them had been against him. and had blocked the real progressive measures winch -should have been carried out. ROADS. On the question t>f roads, the candidate declared that the time for patchwork was over, and that- they wanted to go in for -works of a 'permanent nature. They had been rated up to the hilt, and yet the revenue- was not sufficient to improve the existing state of affairs. Cnk-s-s the position was altered they would, continue to go with the streets and. footpaths in an unsatisfactory condition, and with their overdraftst:etching out to its" limit. In. 1907. £5736 had hern spent in the maintenance or the streets, in ISOS £9308 had been spent, while this year (1909) the amount- was £9591. It would thus be seen that only £283 more had been spent this year than in 1908, but he claimed that they had more to show in the shape of real, solid improvement than had boon the ease in any previous year. Not alone had the main street been improved better than ever before, but they had also procured machinery which was going to fee of inestimable service to the town in the future. They now had their Straker waggon and trailer, sidings at Gisborne and Kai-tc-ratahi, and they had also, through the good offices of the lligiit Hon. the Prime Aimlst-er and Hon. Jas. Carroll secured 60 acres at “Gentle Annie ' as a quarry reserve ior the town. The metal obtainable hero was the Lest m the district, and there wry an unlimited supply. It was only rigut and proper that a growing town sliou-d have its own proper reserves for this purpose, so that they would not be submitted to anv control or hindvance by any tuner bodv. He strongly deprecated tne-ac-tfon of the Cook County Council m closin tf the Patutahi quarry, as m consequence of this actum tm?y .nu been left with no meta! for tne streetof the borough. However, they wan tea to show that" they could Ire independent of anv other body, and arrangements had been made that they should get metal in this week front their reserve at AYaihirere. This meta! would tie found most useful for the foundations of the roads, -and would save a good deal in the cost aiiu of toe streets. Again,, they hud got u gioo at Ka it a rat a hi. which would be taken over on Monday or Tuesday, and which, it was expected, would effect a further great saving; By- t'ue increased facilities they had they could w.vr get Patutahi metal delivered at Ss per bard, instead of Ms per yard, and where the price of Kaitaratahi gravel had been os 6d cr 6s 6d per yard, it would now Ire 2s 6d, another great saving. In the twelve months gone by it was difficult to really appreciate what had been done, but he claimed that if nothing else had been done than the two matters he had just referred to. ih'ev were sufficient. Ho regretted verv much that he had not had dio whole-hearted support from the Council that he had looked for. In replv to an interjection. "What about the trailer?" Air. Lysnar explained that it took a man two hours to fill the trailer, but when the hoppm.s were ready that would be much rhe<ed. There bad been u c t-kh nt t" : u---trailer, but the waggon alone. claimed, effected a saving m K p-r yard in the carriage ot mot-,;. FINANCE. On the subject of finance, Air. Lysnar claimed that until money was borrowed for roads, they would never prosper as a town. If they did go in for a loan, figures prepared by the Town Clerk showed that a great saving would be effected, as by expending £41,000 they would, in five years, save £29,000, or. In nine years, £36,000. Another rgasou to lie urged in favor of such a loan was that by recent legislation the Government would guarantee the loan and pay half the sinking fund, which, in time, would liquidate the entire debt. "WATER SUPPLY. On this head Air. Lysnar claimed that when the scheme was initiated he told them that Air. Townley would go for spiral pipes, which he (Air. Lysnar) had said, at the time, would be unsuitable and cost many thousands. His words had come true, the contract "as now two years overdue, and he would predict that it won <1 bo \et auot-liei "t-wolvo months before it would be ready. It was a most unfortunate thing that the Council, on the recommendation ot its engineer, had decided to accept iocs pressure than was originally contracted (or. This, of course, meant a less water sitpplv than had boon contracted for and through the" unservieeab e mains the people were not reaping He benefits they should from the npPA’Their insurances had not been rouue-', ; and they never knew the moment when the water-was going to he cut oil. r o he’d that floods would damage cast .nut pipes loss than the spiral pipes wmwe the r ivetted pipes would not nold, and also that there would be mss damage to a Din main than to a lent mam, through floods or any other cause. IDs opponents claimed that there wj.> a difference of 930.600 in the two schemes which had been considered, but im held that- the present -scheme .Jbllav's) had oo,st £67,000 up to urn pres-, out', and the cost of Air. Leslie .Leygolds’ scheme would have oo>n i; H'” ’• it this scheme bad been ad-qu-M,. and he had urged that it shou-d, doit insurances would have been tlic-v need have no tear* t h>, ’> '■-t- i pressure at a time oi fire. T nder the .rosmit scheme of water .supply, he n«ld