NOT A PARTY MATTER

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 113, 16 May 1925, Page 6

NOT A PARTY MATTER

Unfortunately party has been introduced into civic elections. It would have been much better had it been kept out altogether; but there is no reason whatever for making the position worse by now extending the party system to the Council table after the campaign. Such an extension would result from the adoption of the course advocated by Councillor Monteith for the appointment of committees: It would be recognition of the party system by the Council itself, and this should be avoided at all costs. Ifc was not a strictly party vote that elected Councillors Monteith, M'Keen, and Semple. If they had received the support only of pledged Labour voters, they would have been in no better position than other members of the Labour ticket. Quite plainly they were elected on their personal merits, and they should act now not as representatives of a party but as representatives of the whole municipal electorate. Viewed from this angle, their appointment to committees must be decided not by the Parliamentary method of preserving. the party balance, but so that merit and fitness shall be the sole considerations affecting the choice. -If the Labour councillors persist in a claim for party treatment, they weaken the argument which, we believe, was responsible for their election—that candidates of merit professing Labour opinions should be given a place at the Council table.

The constitution of the Finance Committee involves considerations which differ somewhat from those applying to the selection of other committees. According to custom, the Finance Committee is made up of the chairmen of other committees. This method has much to commend it; for example, it provides a simple means of co-ordinat-ing committee work and fairly distributing expenditure over the various services controlled by the Council. But it also has defects. It prevents the appointment of a councillor with special experience m financial matters unless he becomes chairman of a committee. So far as we can see, however, it does not place Labour councillors at a special disadvantage. If one of these has the superior ability and experience he is entitled to a chairmanship. We believe that councillors as a body are broadminded enough to disregard the party idea m choosing their chairmen. The Council has been elected to watch the interests of the whole City, not to waste time and thought on petty party questions, and we are sure that the majority of councillors are fully sensible of their duty in this respect.