MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT.

Evening Star, Issue 18332, 20 July 1923, Page 6

MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT.

The Municipal Conference, held biennially. is ended, having considered and resolved upon a vast quantity of business in what seems 'like breakneck time. As it was, more or less, a conference of exports which was assembled, haste may not have militated too much against tho wisdom of the decisions reached. Tho Municipal Association will do good work if it can got one rule of the footpath observed in all tho cities of Now Zealand. “Keep to the right” in Dunedin is supposed to be the rule, but in the popular, and perhaps in tho original, sense of a much-labored phrase, it is more honored in the breach than in the observance. Auckland follows, or professes to follow, tho Dunedin rule, but in both Wellington and Christchurch “Kcop to Dio left” has supplanted it. Two arguments for the latter direction are that it is confusing, and inducivo of contempt for regulations, to have ono rule for tho road and another for the footpath, and that the second system has advantages for safety.• The wayfarer who keeps to tho loft of a footpath has inoro time to see a motor car travelling in tho same direction before he stops off in front of it. On tho other hand, tho confusion which is always a first result when people who havo been used to ono law, however imperfectly they have practised it, havo to adapt themselves to another directly contrary one makes on argument against “ Keep to the left ” for footpaths which is more than trivial. Tho conference decided that this ought to bo made tho uniform rule, with tho authority of incorporation in tho Municipal Corporations Act, and Dio desirableness of uniformity is dot to bo doubted. It was not surprising that tho conference throw out a remit for the election of mayors by Dieir councils instead of by tho electors of a borough. Logical arguments can bo urged for Die innovation proposed; but tho system which is followed in Now Zealand does not seem to have caused yet any disharmony in councils, and Die people

havo eoir.o reason to. prof or it. It was unfortunate that, when it passed its wiso recommendation for a uniform system, of voting for parliamentary and local elections, tho conference did not go further, and declare for a separation of tho polling dates for municipal councils and other local governing bodies. That offers, as wo havo pointed out before, the most practicable care for tho excessive strain placed alike on returning officers and on voter’s by the accumulation of issues calling now for decision on a single day, and the election for all tho bodies could still bo biennial. The conference - itself will bo held annually for tho future. Less congested programmes, winch may be hoped for then, will make loss risk of decisions being too hastily readied, and still more may bo {i-ehievcd by .tho Municipal Association when it can persuade Governments to give more hood to its recommendations.