The Press. THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 1910. YESTERDAY'S ELECTION.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13683, 17 March 1910, Page 6

The Press. THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 1910. YESTERDAY'S ELECTION.

Judging by the T63ult of tho election, yesterday of seven members to represent the city on-the new Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, a good many people in Christchurch will be surprised to-day to learn that an election tooki place at all. The alteration in the' mode of electing members of tlie Board, whereby they are chosen directly by the people, instead of heing appointed by contributing bodies, was made in responso to an agitation for the direct representation of the people, who were supposed to ,be clamouring for the reform. The policy of "finding out what "the people want -and then giving it '• them," which is the declared guiding princi_rle of the present Government, 'seems in this instance to havo heen attended by rather unfortunate proof that the Government do not even -always tafie pains to find out what the public really do want, but are content to take the clamour of a noisy minority j as the voice of the people. We are not j quarrelling at present with the Government's ready adoption of the pt incite of direct election to the Hospital and Charitable Aid Bcerd, but it is interesting to note, as. indicating the Tery slight genuine desire for the change on the part of the public, that cut of more than 17,000 persons whoso names appear <m the roU for the eleotJßßvia the city yea-tetday, about 1400

took the trouble to vote—just abcut 8 per cent. We have had occasion at previous local elections to deplore tho apathy manifested in Christchurch regarding local government affairs, but yesterday's polling is little, if anything, short of a scandal and a difigrace. Unfortunately, the same remark may woil apply to ether centres, for generally the election yesterday seems to have aroused practically no interest. The people who are so utterly neglectful of the privilege and duty of citizenship a Jul self-government do not deserve to have any voice in the management oi tho city's affairs. It is, to a very large degree, true that a people deserve just the government they get, and tlie public of Christchurch will have only themselves to blame if during the next three years the actions of their representatives on the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board fail to satisfy them. Not that we grudge their victory to the five members of the so-called Progressive party who secured election; on the contrary, "wo congratulate them unrcsorvedly on their deserved success. They wore the only candidates who took the trouble to present their views to the .•"•'ublic, and, what was of more importance, the only party that organised a "ticket." They worked for their t-ifcetion and they won, partly on that | account and uartly bcciuse of the slugI gish indifference of the great majority of the electors. We do not yet know the composition of the new Board, as the results of the polling for the six jepresentatives for the three combined counties will not bo disclosed until today. It is worthy of note, however, that of tlie .seven city members only two have terved on tlie Hospital Board, and not one is a member of the Charitable Aid Board. Whether inexperience in the duties that they have undertaken is an advantage to the community or otherwise remains to be seen. Fortunately a fair proportion of those already elected havo some knowledge ot hospitil administration, but it is to be regretted that Mr John Ingram, the present chairman of tho Hospital Hoard, who has done admirable work in that capacity, did not again offer his services, and that the electors failed to support as they deserml two other useful members of the Board who stood for election to tho new Board.