THE CITY ELECTIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 101, 29 April 1913, Page 4

THE CITY ELECTIONS.

Tt i« to be hoped that the festivities attending the visit of our battleship will not have the effect of distracting public attention from the elections that are to bo hrld to-morrow. For. though we take onr patriotic duties and our Imperial obligations eerionsly enough, the citizens of Auckland cannot afford to j ignore the heavy responsibilities thrown I irpon them in rejjaTd to the administration of their local affairs- Unfortunately, the people of thie country have frequently laid themselves open to* the reproach of neglecting their electoral duties: and we hope that to-morrow , * poll will afford no opportunity for criticism of this kind. The most inexcusable dereliction of duty of which a citizen can be guilty is the refusal to sacrifice hie 'pleasure or his convenience even to the email extent involved in recording his vote; and we trust that the electors will let nothing but absolutely insuperable obstacles hinder them from performing this manifest public duty to-morrow. The firet requisite of sound municipal or national administration is that every man and woman having tho right -to vote shall exercise that right; and unfces we could depend upon .the great majority of the people of Auckland to justify their claim to govern themselves by" recording their vote*, we might well despair of the future. However, we admit that co far the ind.cat.ons are all i n favocr of a record poll for all the elections to be decided tomorrow. Among the public bodies. *o be etiosen, the foremost roust necessarily be- given to the Auckland City Council; -*nd, as we are commenting on the situation, we think it a positive public duty to say a good word for the City Council whose I*llll of office has just expired. It is well known that, under its control, a largo amount of important public work has teen done of great and permanent value to the city. Councillors generally eecxn to have worked: very amicably with the Mayor; and, as we have frequently pointed out, it is an. important consideration that each succeeding Council should include a. substantial proportion of its predecessors bo as to cmsure that continuity of public policy which is essential to the efficient and satisfactory administration of our municipal jiffairs. In the present instance, when the Councillors have done so much to secure the confidence of the citizens, and are carrying out an important programme of public works, their claims to re-election become paramount. With this limitation the only general advice that can be offered to the ratepayers is to vote for the very best men they can find—men who have shown themselves to be publicspirited and disinterested, and who unite personal integrity with other proved qualifications for success in civic affairs. We may add one further comment— that the ratepayers must remember that the City Council elected to-morrow will have to administer th« affairs of Mver&l

of our most important suburbs, a* well as of the city proper. The question naturally arises whether it ie not advisable that these suburbs should be directly and personally represented on the central body. We ha-ve always deprecated anything like local feeling or parochialism in connection with municipal government, but it seen* to us I that, under existing circumstance*, the claims of the candidates who, having hitherto represented Parnell or Keniuera, are now standing for the city, well deserve serious consideration. Quite apart from the interest of these special suburbs, it may be argued that it w adIvisable, from the city's standpoint, that ,a Greater Auckland Council should include a fair proportion of men, whose Local knowledge and whose past experience in suburban local bodies will enable them to speak authoritatively on many matters that, since the suburbs are merged in the city, are now of general public importance. We are not inclined to dogma-Use on thie point, but we hope that the electors will keep it in view to-morrow. As to the other elections, the greatest public interest naturally centres round the Harbour Board and the Hospital Board, and on both of these topics we have already enlarged, in electing the earnfidatw; for whom they mean to vote, the ratepayers should, in every case, be guided by a resolute determination to support not a "ticket" or a party, but the man or woman who, in character and other qualifications, eeeine moat suitable for the post in question. If the people of Auckland will oirly stick to thie principle, we need have no fear of the ultimate result; and we may, therefore, dismke the elections with the hope that in every caee the best man—or woman— will win.