City Council Election Change Unlikely In 1959

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28895, 15 May 1959, Page 12

City Council Election Change Unlikely In 1959

City electors will probably still have to face a list of at least 38 names of candidates for the City Council when the triennial municipal elections are held in November. A move towards simplification of the voting procedure has been proposed by Cr. H. P. Smith, chairman of the City Council’s finance committee, but it seems impossible for his scheme to result in anything positive for this year. Cr. Smith’s proposal is for a committee of councillors and representatives of a variety of outside organisations to examine alternative schemes for representation—a ward system is one —which would avoid the present cumbersome voting paper. If the council on Monday approves the setting up of the committee, if the organisations proposed appoint representatives promptly, and if they then make their investigations equally promptly, there would probably still be insufficient time for the council to consider and act on any recommendations before the election. The City Council is empowered to divide the city into wards for administration or for representation only; but once it does so there must be a general election. If it was to adopt a system other than the present one or a ward system it would probably have to obtain legislative authority for the change. One change mentioned as a possibility is a system of councillors at large—some councillors elected by the whole city area and the rest by wards. | A division of the city into wards

could be accomplished by the council under the Municipal Corporations Act. It has another provision, however, that where an undivided borough (city is included in the term) is divided into wards there shall be a general election of councillors. Faced with the cost of a general election—£3ooo has been estimated for the expenses of the poll and election this year—it would be a very brave council which would impose on its ratepayers an election during the three years.

If Cr. Smith’s proposal is supported it will probably be a forerunner to action in 1962 rather than 1959, to make Christchurch the first major city to elect its representatives by wards, although a ward system applied earlier in New Zeala'nd’s history of local government.