SYDNEY CITY COUNCIL

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 116, 19 May 1930, Page 13

SYDNEY CITY COUNCIL

ALDERMANIC REGIME

THE COMING ELECTIONS

(From "The Post's" Hepraentativa.) SYDNEY, Jsth May.

The cluction for tho constitution of tlio new Sydney City Council, under the revived aldermanie regime, is to take place on 18tk June, and although there is activity in the- camps of thd'Labour Party and the Citizens' Eoform Association in tho coming battle for supremacy at the Town Hall, taxstruck with the difference between the people in Australian and New Zealand pares —and herein one cannot help being cities —appear so far to bo quite indifferent to tho clectioii and the issues at stake.

This lethargy—and it applies for tlio most part to tho anti-Labour section of tho community—will, of course, play into the hands of the-Trades Hall, and especially the. Red element, who want to bo kings of the municipal castle, and possibly will. Not a few taxpayers objected to the establishment of the Civil 'Commission which was set up in place of'the old-City. Council, on the ground that it wa,s an infraction of the principle of "no taxation without representation." Now that they -are afforded tho chance to have some say for their money in the personnel'of tho new council, however, they do not appear to be greatly concerned. ■' Some of the happenings under the, old alder? manic regime ought to be a fair 'warning to those with .anything like a.substantial, state in Australia's oldest city Although Mr. "Jock" Garden, secretary of the Trades and Labour Couucil, is regarded as the elect of the Trades Hall for the Lord Mayoralty, should Labour again bo in power—and it is making a desperate bid for the reins of civic government—the Eeform Party hopes for a majority, in which case the election of. Lord Mayor will be within their gift. They will be lucky to get back with a majority of any sort, however, unless their followers arouse themselves.

The subject of the Lord Mayoralty is always an intriguing one in Sydney, because of the attendant ■ possibilities of a knighthood. • The Lord Mayoralty lias leenthe stepping stone to" the. accolade for several of Sydney's knights. Socially, Sydney's: Town Hall has been one of the dullest spots in the city's-life for many years. If the Reformers are lucky enough-to take control there, the social life of other days at the Town Hal) may again pervade the old building, and bring back to it some of.its pre-war gaiety. ■ ' Sir James Murdoch, M.L.C., in whom the civic reformers, arc not lacking in leadership, is one of Sydney's best, examples of the self-made man. --.The bi» retail, establishment he has founded is" probably-one of .the'world's, largest stores devoted, wholly: to, men >a~ and boys' wear... When James Murdoch. ;set root in Australia from Scotland;:' he owned little more than the clothes he stood up, in; ■PrudeiitCeot,. he soon got a ]ob, and in a couple of years he had become one of the departmental-mana-gers ma leading. Melbourne establishment. He launchedI.out in; business in Sydney, struck the big banking crisis alter he had been going only a year, but weathered the storm; "kept on i rising," to quote his own trade sloganswallowed up, or rather shouldered, out 01 .the way, other -businesses •nearby, and to-day is the big man behind one 01. the city's finest commercial monuments, under whoso co-partnership scheme most of the employees are on' the firm's share list.