Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), Thursday 14 February 1889, page 3


THE SOUTH BRISBANE MAYORAL

DIFFICULTY.

An adjourned special general meeting o{ the south Brisbane Municipal Council waa hold st noon yesterday in the Council Chambers, Stanley-street, there being present Aldermen Hardgrave, Kennedy, Jones, Morry, Brake, Midson, Heaslop, Seanlan, Caswell, Stephens, Lose, and Blooksidge. Mr. HILL (town clerk) read the letter which he had forwarded to the Chief Secretary, containing a record of the pro-ceedings at' last meeting, and also the reply ?which had been received from Mr. Morehead. The latter was to tho effect tatt in the event of the oonncll failing to elect a mayor within the time prescribed by law (one month), it was the intention of the Government to recommend the Govemor-in-Council to appoint Mr. William Stephens to the position.

Mr. HKAbtor thereupon moved that Mr. Stephens, the lata mayor, be elected mayor for the ensuing twelve months; and the motion wau seconded by Mr. CASWELL.

Mr. JOKES said that ho merely consented to the mode of proceeding adopted at tho last meeting in order that a deadlook might ho avoided. Ile also consented along1 withbis brother aldermen that he would raise no objeotion to the election of whoever the Government might suggest for the position of mayor. He was not going to raise any objection now, but would simply say he was very sorry that Mr. Stophens was to bo mayor during the ensuing year. (Applause and hisses.) Mr. StephonB had

been chairman of the old Woolloongabba Divi-sional Board and chairman of other boards in the district, as weil as mayor of South Brisbane, for a term, and he thought these weie suffi-cient offices for a man in his position to havo occupied. These were some of the reasons why at the present time lie was sorry that Mr. Stephens had been placed in the position of mayor of the borough. He had nothing to say nganiBt their new mayor personally, but lie expected that in the course of this year Mr. ¡Stephens would act impartially in all affairs connected with the municipality, and would not lend his aid or assistance to any part of it to the detriment oE anothor. He did not say that Mr. Stophens had done BO in the past, and lie did not think it would be right now to raise any bone of contention. He would therefore simply say that he consented to Mr. Stephens's

eleotion.

Mr. Mount also expressed the hope that during the year the mayor would act impar-tially in ali matters that came before him whioh might vitally affect the interests of tho borough. Regarding the bridgo question, ho trusted Mr. Stci>bens would ba perfectly im-partial. He was sorry to say that their mayor was not so impartial on one point as he ought to have been. [Mr.STEPKENS: " What point!"'] The separation question, regarding which ho might have allowed the ratepayers to work out their own schemes without giving them any

assistance to do so.

Mr. KENNEDY had one hopo to give expres-sion to, and that was that the council would not drift back into the old principle of heredi-tary chairmanships. In tho country where ho was born the important office of sheriff was at one time transmitted from father to son, and the holder of the office had suoh great power that he could hang a man or take his hoad off in front of his own castle, ne trusted the council would not make the office of mayor an hereditary ono ; that there would be somo end lo Mr. Stephens always boing elected to tho shief position in the municipality, and that Mr. Stephens would not again allow himself to be brought forward for the position for somo years at any rato. AU the aldermen he thought should have a turn as mayor. There was no laok of talont in the counoil, and there were other aldermen quite as willing to administer tho affairs of tho borough as the gentleman who was now being olcoted. As regarded himself he was not anxious to occupy the position, and had never aspired to it, but he hoped the others would havo a chance of dis-playing their ability in the mayoral chair.

The motion was unanimously agreed to, and Mr. Stephens was conducted to the chair by Messrs. Heaslop and Caswell.

Mr. STEPHESS thanked tho aldermen for again electing him mayor ol' South Brisbane. A good deal had been said about the honour and glory which attached to tho ofKr.a ; but if tho others would only allow him to do the work for the place in which he was born and brought up they were welcome to the honour and glory. He was not at all anxious to be mayor this year, but the ratepayers who electod him and the aldermen who contested the election with him wished him to bo proposed for the position, and ho consented. He would endea-vour to do his duty fearlessly, openly, and honestly, as ho had done in the past, favouring no portion of the borough more than anothor. Ho had been twitted with acting unfairly during the past year, but those who thought he had done so were entirely wrong. A meeting wa9 called to consider the separation question, and he as mayor took the chair, but did not say one word for or against it, and as soon as an expression of opinion was got, and it was opposed to separation, he was at once also opposed to it. Ho trusted and wai Bute, that "all tho aldermon would support the chair during the time it was occu-pied by him.

The chairman of the late Finance Committee was authorised to sign cheques for payment of accounts, and the first orSinary meeting of the council was fixed for this (Thursday) afternoon.