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Evening Star, Issue 12699, 27 June 1907, Page 4

A discussion, which is variously described as "lively" and "warm," at the North-east Valley Ocrancil on Monday night gave rise to the utterance of some remarkable views on the rights and duties of councillors and mayor. The mayor, it appears, desired the attendance of the cadet at the regular Council meetings, and called upon the town clerk to notify him accordingly. In the absence of that official the mayor left word with the cadet to inform the clerk that tl>e former's presence was wanted at future meetings of the Council. No attention was paid to this request, and on the mayor bringing too matter before the Council an unseemly, discourteous, and extraordinary debate followed. We are not concerned as to the necessity or th& desirability of the cadet being present at Council meetings, nor as to the particular way in which the intimation should have been made, but we are interested, as is every ratepayer and tha Council itself, in the reasons advanced by certain counciTlOTS against the mayor's action. - These gentlemen seriously contended, and wasted much time in persisting in their contention, tiat the Council ought to have been taken into the mayor's confidence; * that the Council should direct the clerk; and that no councillor (i.e., mayor) should take upon him. self the functions of tie whole Council. Municipal government has at times given rise to ridicule, and its methods in some instances are past finding out; in fact, in the United States, as we noted on Saturday, one or two cities in sheer disgust have handed over their municipal affairs to a small body of paid business mfen to conduct them in a business way. And there is nothing that will increase any latent popular disgust more than petty attempts to belittle the office of the mayor and to question his every act. The Mayor of North-east Valley, following long-established precedent, was fully within his departmental rights and his duty to the ratepayers in acting as lie did. If the Mayor of Dunedin had to question and consult his Conn, cil on every occasion before giving instructions to tile town clerk, or if he were to be publicly accused of ignoring the town clerk if he left a message with an assistant, civic government would be impossible. With the personal motives, if any, that may be behind objections of this nature, we have nothing to do, but that the Mayor of North-east Valley or any borough is within his rights and his duties in leaving instructions with tie clerk, or, in his absence, with his assistant, without first consulting the Council requires neither argument nor evidence in support. There are other and better ways to question the wisdom of the mayor's policy than by publicly belittling the authority of his office.

of Althorllr.