THE MAYOR AND THE “TIMES.”

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2689, 20 December 1909, Page 4

THE MAYOR AND THE “TIMES.”

Because we object to liis methods we do' not support, the present Mayor. Because we. do not sup/port him be becomes angry, abuses us, and endeavors to set up a boycott against us on the Council and from the public platform. This is the penalty of .frank and fearless criticsm. For His Worship’s threats we care not a jot. After he has said all he can'say, and has done all lie can against us, we shall still continue to criticise him fairly and freely, so long as he occupies a public scheme we will support it, but if he hampers' it with foolish provisions we shall point; them out. . His Worship’s extraordinary action in dragging up before the public the private affairs of gentlemen who have invested money 'in this journal is a matter upon which we do not care to dilate, merely trusting that he already regrets such a foolish and deplorable infringement of public etiquette. His suggestion that

because some shareholders in the “Times” are -wealthy men this journal must of necessity be against municipal progress, is too absurd to need contradiction. His Worship will, we fear, take it unkindly if wo suggest the he, too, is wealthy, and likewise suffers from the taint of being interested in the sheep industry. However, the opportunity is suitable to make our own position clear. We have from the first supported every one of the proposed reforms now before the ratepayers. The main difference between curselves and the Mayor is that whereas he tries to induce the public to think they can get £175,000 worth of work for nothing—or, to put it more clearly, by saving on present expenditure —we say the works will have to be paid for. Moreover, we disagree with his ] olicy of constructing roads from Kaitaratahi shingle. But'chief of all! (\ve have protested in season and out of season against the monstrous proposal whereby the Council endeavors to compel sewerage to carry all the other schemes with it, and thus virtually disfranchises all those ratepayers who do not agree in every detail with its views.