THE GREY RIVER ARGUS THURSDAY, April 23, 1925. THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

Grey River Argus, 23 April 1925, Page 4

THE GREY RIVER ARGUS THURSDAY, April 23, 1925. THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

It is not cworthy on t his occasion how very few are the contests that characterise the biennial .municipal elections throughout the West Coast. For the Mayoral office and for the scats on the Borough Council there are to be < orfests in only one instance, that of the Brunner municipality. At Grey, mouth, Westport, Hokitika, Runanga Kumara and Ross, the unopposed return of the candidates has boon th A rule this year. As the great majority of these public men are being re.elected they may flatter themselves that their policy has in the past met with the nt ire sat isfaction of the burgesses; bat it (•■•in also be said that there is evident lack of interest in civic af fairs, which is partly the cause for the absence of contests. .\o doubt, there is a considerable saving of expense, and there is certainly no serious objection being offered to hte course of action which the several local bodies in question have been following HiiK’e last election. This but renders more significant the fact that there is to bo a contest locally for the Grey Power Board, the policy of which, during the past couple of years has been the principal bone of contention in local politics. It is always desirable in mich cases that the public should I have the opportunity to pass its jndg- | men! on matters that are of vital concern to the whole community, so tha x the election in this instance must serve a very useful purpose. On retiring, the members <>f the Board, whose term is up. have in a general statement, given their version of the past policy of the Board, but it will be for them I Io further explain various matters in • the course of the election campaign, j The Board’s latest, decision will be one I sucl. matter, namely, that in relation |to the plans for the power house at • Dobson . It would be as well that, the electors should learn by whom the plans J for the power house, were first drawn • up. why those plans were rejected • after tenders had been received, and whether the subsequent plans were the [ work of the same expert, and, in ad. I ditioiy whether the original rejected • set of plans were paid for by the Board after they were scrapped. No doubt, the public will concentrate upon the Power Board election all the interest that would have been devoted in ordinary circumstances to the customary election for the Borough Council. The installation of the best pos sible electrical service is the most im. port ant project at present in hand lo- ‘ eally, and it will be naturally the wish ( of everybody to see the work in the 1 hands of those most capable by experi. once and judgment to decide the policy |of the Power P.oard.