TWO VACANCIES

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 237, 21 June 1926, Page 6

TWO VACANCIES

ON WELLINGTON CITY COUNCIL BY-ELECTION NEXT MONTH On Saturday morning, Councillor A. L. Monteith, who was recently elected employees’ assessor on the Arbitration Court, handed in his resignation as a member of the City Council. Councillor Monteith has found that his new duties take him away from Wellington so much that be cannot attend to his work as a city councillor. Had the appointment to' the Arbitration Court occurred nearer to the end of his term as a councillor he would not have resigned, as there is a provision in the Act that should such a vacancy occur within six months of the expiry of the two years’ term, there is no need on the part of the council to hold a by-election, but as the next election does not take place until the end of April next year, there was no option but for him to vacate his position to allow of a by-election. Councillor R. >A. Wright, who was. recently appointed Minister of Education, also found that he could not attend to the’dutie« of his new office and to those of city councillor with satisfaction to himself, but he refrained from resigning, as he did not wish to put the council to the expense of a by-election. Now that- Councillor Monteith is resigning, Councillor Wright will also resign, as no extra expense to the city will be entailed. The election to fill the two vacancies will probably take place about the third week in July. . , This will be the first election in which Mr. James Ames has not acted as returning officer since the very beginning of things municipal in .Wellington. In all probability the duties will devolve upon his son, Mr. James Ames, junior, who has been closely associated with his father in many elections.