Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE SATURDAY, APRIL 30th., 1938. THE BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 April 1938, Page 6

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE SATURDAY, APRIL 30th., 1938. THE BOROUGH COUNCIL.

j UN I CI PAL elections cover >o wide a field that it wa> not ■ practicable to deal with all the as- ; peers ar the first rime of wrirtiigr Yesterday, the duties of the cani dtdates and electors, and the 24-iy-i oral ca?idt<tares. were discussed in | lids column. To-day. it is thought I advisable to direct public artenftton to the Or-'-ymourh &>n>ugh f * 'ouueiL ”T here are twelve et-uidi- £ dates f«-,r rhe siirre sears, and rhe h»vrsre«>!tk should have linle I difficulty in making their selecsion. A blend of age and of those 1 t _ -15 1- _ -*"■. - -- u- - _ - w ." _2*»t >«■ ■.•lt* L>» • •“X J*JT« £• leace and energy may be combined, jin a weil-balaueed Council. Per-' sonalitie>._ rather than brands or ’ labels. should have the major eon- | siderarion. preference being giv- -■ en to those likelv to follow a JS ■ policy aimed ar the general good. ; and nor she special welfare of lone class. f [ The new Council might be wise i ro investigate the Borough admin- | istrarive system, to learn if there I s ; are ways and means to secure any i desirable reforms. Borough work " ; — || | must have grown, largely, with | the increase of the Borough, and may be that the present stain-•

is inadequate to cope with the necessary work. Some officials,

perhaps, are asked to do too much, whilst others might be justly urged to do more. Methods sufficient for earlier decades may now be obsolete, and some old-time privileges may not, to-day, be justified, especially in the matter of holidays, apart from the normal annual leave.

Another matter is the duty of the Mayor and Council to see that the general public, are early informed, through the Press or otherwise, of any proposal or decision of importance to the townspeople. Obviously, there are stages of negotiations when publicity would be undesirable, but this secrecy should nor be unduly prolonged. For instance, take the Civic Square scheme. Has this been abandoned.' There are not likely to be many regrets if such is the case. The townspeople, however had the riirht to be told

early. At the annual meeting of parishioners of Holy Trinity Church, it was announced incidentally that “the Borough Council had not renewed their option over the Guinness Street property, and that proposals for a private sale were being considered." What the Church doe?, with its own property is entirely its own business, but the announcement regarding the Borough option had much wider interest. and should not have been reserved for those attending a semi-private gathering. There art 1 other matters upon which the Council has been unduly secretive, especially where finance is concerned. "Hush-hush" breeds illfounded street-corner gossip and rumours. The tendency is increasing in various Coast local bodies to keep from the electors what thev have the full risrht to know.