THE WAVERLEY COUNCIL. - A NEW MAYOR ELECTED. - Evening News (Sydney, NSW : 1869 - 1931) - 6 Mar 1901 (original) (raw)

A special meeting of the Waverley Council — or

all that is left of it since 33 per cent, of it re

signed on Saturday last — was held on Tuesday '

evening, the principal business being th- election .

of a new Mayor, to succeed Mr. EL C. Evans, who i

has just vacated the chair. Before 7.30 p.m., the j

time fixed for the meeting, that portion of the

council-room set apart for the accommodation of

ratepayers was crowded, rows of happy, expectant

faces indicatine that manv were there in the hooe

of seeing some fun,' while others, more sternly

earnest, bore evidence of a deeper interest taken

by some in the local 'crisis.' TBose who an

ticipated anything lively, however, were doubt

less disappointed, for, for the first time in many

years, unanimity prevailed in the local civic de

liberative assembly, and though those present

constituted but a vulgar fraction of a council,

there was not a fraction of vulgarity, or even dis

order, about their proceedings. There were pre

sent: Aldermen Simpson, Tipper, Harley, Keys,

Terry, Blunt, and Carter. On the motion of Al

derman Tipper, Alderman W. H. Simpson took the

vacant chair, and the council clerk read the

minutes, which were adopted. Then the council

clerk (Mr. J. Clubbe) announced that on Saturday

he received the resignation of Alderman H. E.

Evans as Mayor of the borough, and of Aldermen

Evans, Wynne, M'Leod, and Watkins as aldermen

of tli- borough. Alderman Blunt moved that Al

derman Carter be elected Mayor for the remain

der of the current municipal year. He was pro

ceeding to criticise preceding Mayors, when the

chairman stopped him. Alderman Terry second

ed the nomination; and as there was no other

Alderman Carter was -declared elected as Mayor,

amid some applause. In thanking his brother

aldermen, the newly-elected Mayor said that the

period was one of the most critical in the his

tory of tne borough. The action ot tne retiring

aldermen had had not only the tendency, but the

effect, he would say, of damaging the credit of the

borough. But the borough -was going to go on, \

because there were still in the council as good

men as had gone out of it. Those Viho had left

them had not done so in the most creditable man

ner. The borough would go on in a straightfor- ?

ward manner, without falsifying any accounts to

deceive anybody, as bad been suggested. The

ex-Mayor had been instructed in December last

to make inquiries as to the best means to float a

loan. After ten weeks, during which the council

knew nothiv.g of what was being done, be practi

cally came along and admitted that he had failed

in the matter, and threw upon them the onus of

doing it in three weeks. The newly-elected

Mayor then moved that Aldermen Simpson, Blunt,

Cummins, Tipper, Keys, Terry, and Harley be ap- :

pointed members of the finance committee for the

remainder of the municipal year, vice Aldermen ;

Evans, M'Leod, Catkins, arid Wynne. Alderman ;

Simpson suggested that the resolution be amend- !

ed by making the committee consist of the whole .

council. The mover agreed, and the resolution

so amended was carried unanimously. On the .

motion of Alderman Simpson, the appointment of .

Messrs. C. H. Lloyd and T. H. Dickson as valuers,

to make an assessment of the ratable properties

within the borough, was confirmed. The Mayor

stated, before the conclusion 'of the meeting, that

the necessary elections to fill the vacancies would

be held as soon as pc-Tible. ? ^^^