POLITICS NOT WANTED.

Evening Star, Issue 25172, 11 May 1944, Page 4

POLITICS NOT WANTED.

Municipal elections will take place this veal- in a different atmosphere that -which existed three years ago. Then neither Russia nor Japan had come into the war, hut Japan was threatening. Home Guard, National Reserve, and emergency precautions made demands on time that could ill bo spared for election bickerings; the blackout reigned. To-day the war requires less of the time of the ordinary civilian, 'but, with its climax of the great offensive on Europe imminent, it does not less occupy his mind. Elections are, however, necessary, and he must make the best of them.

Pity it is that' for years past ive have been developing a system that makes the worst of ...them. " A city council should be a civic, not a political, body," said, three years ago, the Mayor who is now retiring ** after six years of ungrudging, non-political, wholly civic Service that no successor, is ever likely to surpass.. That saying should be beyond all possibility of argument. Parliament makes laws for the country ; that function involves naturally differences of policy, which cause it to bo divided into parties; the preponderant party rules. But a city council exists sub-ject-to the law. Its legislative powers are confined to the leaking of regulations which must comply with it, and its chief 'business is to administer the affairs, including great trading departments, of its own comparatively small entity in the interests of all its citizens. Administration requires, or should require, no parties. It requires only experience, time, and capacity for the task. Affiliations with this party or that in national politics as a qualification for council membership should bo as irrelevant as a passion for the higher criticism or for darts. Public apathy began the breakdown of this wholesome principle. To induce men to stand for the council it became necessary for something like a Citizens' Association to be formed, or to form itself, to enlist them. The " Citizens' " ticket was offset by a Labour Party's ticket, which hastened the process ot council candidates being divided between this and the other side's nominees, with the least chance for independents. And a Labour party which, in general politics, had found advantage to itself in fostering as much as possible class consciousness, came to regard this accident and evil of a system as the chief end of it. " Block vote for Lalbour " read its adjurations. " It is vitally important." a Christchurqh Labour candidate once said, '' that there should be a Labour majority on local bodies so that the Government may be helped in its work." A " council that will co-operate with the Government " was the demand of a correspondent who wrote to us last week. It should be obvious that any city council will co-operate with any Government where the interests of its eitizons are concerned. And the word " citizen" " includes Labour; it has no political and no class tinge of its own. Why an idea should have grown. among the organisers of one side, that every" sort of local body—down to licensing committees—that has nothing to do with politics should have a major-

ity or a full personnel of members bound before everything else _to assist the Labour Government might Ibe unexplainable, unless it is supposed that no Government ever required assistance so much. And when the quiet efficiency of a non-political council, as shown by the calm in which it works and financial reports brought down this week, is contrasted with the concern caused! by Government actions and defiances given to its authority by this and the other section of its own supporters—or masters—that explanation well may seem to be Convincing. It is a different sort of help, however, that the Government requires. _____