/"N ENTLEMEN,— At a Meeting held a short time since, I stated that I did not intend to offer myself as a Candidate for the office of Mayor; but at the request of a large number of my fellow- townsmen I have been induced to forego such in- tention, and nothing but a sense of public duty, and an ardent desire to see the Municipal structure raised upon a proper basis, would have caused me to do so. The ofllce of Mayor, I consider, should bo without sal&ry, and only conferred on, and an ob- ject of ambition on the part of those, who by a long and disinterested attention to public duties have gained the respect of their fellow citizens. As our means are limited, our expenditure should be managed with the strictest economy, consistent with efficiency. There are many matters which will require the attention of the Mayor and Municipal Council; such as the Assessment, the completion of the levels of the town, the drainage of Block III., the management of the Municipal. Estate, the road to the Beach, the leasing, fencing, and planting of our Reserves, and the judicious introduction of Local Acts placed under the control of tho Corpora- tion. Gentlemen, my practical experience of local Politics extends over more than a quarter of a cen- tury. For upwards of ten years I filled (under peculiar circumstances) the position of Acting- Church Warden, during which time that grand social revolution took place, viz., the abrogation of the Poor Laws of Elizabeth, and the introduction of and establishment of new ones. I was for two years a member of a Municipal Council, which, in addi- tion to its duties of looking after the Municipal Estate, Watching, Lighting, and Markets, had the management and control of an Educational Estab- lishment, whose income was upwards of twelve thousand pounds per annum. I also held the office of Parish Overseer, during the worst of what will always bo remembered as the Potato Famine. For some years after my arrival in New Zealand, 18 years since, I took an active part in the early struggles of Otago and Canterbury. For more than five .years I have been resident in Oamaru and have de- voted a considerable portion of that time to our local politics. 