Evening Post. FRIDAY, APRIL 14,1905

Evening Post, Volume LXIX, Issue 88, 14 April 1905, Page 4

Evening Post. FRIDAY, APRIL 14,1905

A TLEA FOR BUSINESS MANAGEMENT. ■ « The least (hut can ho said of the various muddles that havo been from timo to tinio rovculed in the miuiugement of our municipal affairs is thut tlicy are eminently unbusinesslike, and, speaking in general terms, the remedy required is that tho ratopayers hhull decide to havo their affairs treated as any other business and to appoint business men as their trustees for tho purpose. Wo have therefore been pleased to publish during the last few days letters from two business men of high standing, in which this view has been very strongly urged. Tho fust of the.se- camo from Mr. Samuel brown, who has rendered the city valuable services in tho past, but is prohibited by other heavy public engagements from entering munieip.il harness again. Mr. Brown's letter gave us great satisfaction on the whole, but we naturally received his openiug paragraph with mingled feelings. "The continuous hammering of the Evening Post," we weru told, "has made tho average ratepayer come to believe that you havo only got to municipalise anything and wait for the nionoy to roll in ; in fact, I doubt if there are not a good many persons who could uot give any better reason for their faith than that they saw it in tho l'oxt, though I fancy if anyono suggested that tho Kvcniug l'oxt should bo municipalised, tho worthy editor would 'wink tho other eye. 1 " In general it is not fot a journalist to dispute Iho omnipotence of journalism, but modesty itself compels us in this caso to qualify the flattering tribute, sinco tho power ascribed to us is credited with having operated in exactly tho opposite direction to that in which we exerted it. It is true that wo urged tho munieipalit>atioti of the tram servieo, and wo are quite satisfied that it cm bo so worked as to prove a splendid asset as well as a great convenience for tho city, but against an indiscriminate extension of such a policy we have argued as strongly as wo could. Mr. Brown's statement that "however good the scheme may be, it will bo a liutincial failure unless conducted on sound uimmercial busnieM pi maples," exactly accords with our notions, and it is in t ho spirit of this axiom that wo have resisted every attempt to violate by coiiu-SHious to popular pressure the strict efficiency and economy which a purely commercial management, would secure. In tho same spirit wo havo also urgod that tho city would bo wiso to eUty ita hand fioui further enterprises of a simitar character until the capacity of tho Council to manage tho tramways with success has been conclusively de monstrated. "Tho average municipal •body in Now Zealand," says our correspondent, "undertakes works and financial and other operations that would tax half v dozei 1 companies to do properly, and I dare say, if n.ikcd, any one (>f these bodies would also cheerfully undertake to manage tho Channel Fleet us well. However Tioncst and willing many of tho members nro, they have not that sound commercial experience which is necessary to iniiko a success of any undertaking." Following tho linos of Mr. Brown's letter to their practical conclusion, Mr. A. 3. Hiss, in a letter whkh wo published yesterday, called upon tho ratepayers to avail themselves «( the remedy which tho elections to bo decided on tho 26th iiist. place iv thoir 'hands. Mr. Hiss very properly observes that "in \ic\v of tho serious work which tho City Council will bo called upon to attend to during tho next fow years, it is surprising that tho ratepayers havo done so little to secure business mon as candidates at ■the forthcoming elections." Ho infers from tho public addresses of candidates -both for tho Mayoralty and tho Council that "Uio danger of seriously disorganising the finances of tho city appears to bo a real one." Undoubtedly tho muddling of municipal affairs of which tho ratepayers havo from timo to time complained may easily be aggravated during tJie coming year unless tliey aro alive to their duty now. "Tho majority of the candidates for tho Council," says Mr. Biss, "aro faddists, whoso only ambition is to stand at the street coiner and rattle out a lot of set sentences that they havo read in books, and which they do not understand, and cannot apply to tho work they aro prepared to undertake." If this indictment is somewhat too sweoping iv its severity, t hero is surolv no gainsaying tho positive point which Ko next proceeds to make — viz., that " tho affairs of this city should bo managed with the snme strict caution and ability that is devoted to the Manawatu Railway Company or other such concorns, liko our gas works, moat freozing companies, etc. ; and to achiovo success, business men of high standing should bo urged to take a seat on tho Council." What ho calls " this nonsense about ' representing tho interests of tho working man,' " ho brushes aside with tho remark that " tho best way to assist the working iiuui is to elect men of the right stamp, who, through adopting business methods, will secure economy, and iv tho case of the tramways a fair profit on tho undertaking." Control of tho city's affairs by business men would result iv the straightening up of tho accounts and greator efficiency throughout the whole system, while the personal interference of the ainalour muddler to upset the work of experts would bo reduced to a minimum. How is this control to l)o secured? Though tho ultima to decision rests with tho citizens at tho poll, mo bclievo that it lies in the power of such mon as our two correspondents to provide- the electors with tho necessary material for choice, even at this late hour. The only ticket at present iv the Held is " the Labour six." Why not iv " business six," or even a business trio? If Mich a ticket wore brought- out of rtally capable and disinterested men, nominated and backed by men of standing in tho commercial world without regard to party, wo bcliovo tlmt tho electors Would bo glad of the chance of voting for tllc.ni. Messrs. Brown and Biss should see tlult tho chanco is given.