The Timaru Herald. MONDAY, MARCH 25, 1901.

Under the provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1900, Section 34, the election of the Mayor of the borough will take place upon the last Wednesday in April, and His Worship will come .into office on the second Wednesday in May. The election, therefore, will be held this year on the 24th April. The Regulation of Local Elections Act, 1876, applies to Mayoral elections, and Section 10 provides that—" Not less than fourteen clear days before any election to fill an ordinary vacancy, the Returning Officer shall give public notice thereof, and shall in such notice appoint a place within the district (borough), and a day, not less than five nor more than ten days after such publication, for the nomination of candidates. It will thus be seen that the time which the electors have to cast about t for some really suitable person to fill the Mayoral chair is getting short. It will be adi mitted by all who are interested in the •welfare of the borough that it is of importance that the Mayor shall not only be a man of thoroughly respectable antecedents and surroundings, but that he shall have other qualifications which are not always found in conjunction with respectability. He should be so far master of his own time as to be able to devote some of it to the affairs of the municipality ; he should be able and willing to take the lead on a variety of public occasions during the term of his Mayoralty ; he should display an intelligent interest in the progress of works going on within the borough; he should keep a watchful eye upon the municipal expenditure, and should be strong enough, as the representative head of the Borough Council, to direct municipal officers and employees, rather than lean upon them and trust implicitly to their judgment. Above all, he should be a man who can be trusted not to use his public position for his own ends. It may be said that the Mayor has no such opportunities for axe-grinding or for favouritism, but that is a mistake. If Mr Hole, who retains the position of Mayor until his successor takes office, would consent to offer himself for another term, we should say that the electors could not do better than accept him. He has had a great deal to do during the period of his Mayoralty—much more than the Mayor usually has to do, and he has given satisfaction to the people. He has done it all cheerfully and well, and no doubt at considerable personal inconvenience and perhaps even some business loss. But Mr Hole has repeatedly stated that he will be unable to offer himself again, and so the electors must look elsewhere. The names of several gentlemen have been mentioned recently in connection with the Mayoralty, but those most frequently spoken of are Mr John McNab and Mr Macintosh. The former would fill the position very well, and if he offers himself he will be largely supported, and we believe will be elected. He is a thoroughly respectable and responsible burgess, and has an excellent record both as a Borough Councillor and as a member of the School Committee. We feel sure that if he were returned, the residents of Timaru would have no occasion to regret their choice. Mr McNab is not a talkative "jabbering" man either in private or public life, but he is shrewd, can form opinions for himself, and can express them clearly when there is occasion. He certainly would not spare himself in the performance of his MSyoral duties, and he is well known to be "as straight as a dart." He would lend himself to no dodging or trickery, either on his own account or anyone else's. As for Mr Macintosh, he has now had some little experience in local public affairs, and. has done a good deal more than his fair share of talking, but we do not know that it has been very much to the purpose, and he is not generally looked on as a safe guide in public matters. He gives one the impression that Mr Charles Macintosh is always, uppermost in "his mind,, and of course that is a very large subject even when placed alongside such questions as rating . on unimproved values, municipal finance, and municipal progress, etc., etc. We cannot honestly say that we should like to see him Mayor of Timaru, at all events until he has served a longer apprenticeship and given further proof of what manner of man he really is.