The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 1907. THE NELSON MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 25 April 1907, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 1907. THE NELSON MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

THE RESULT AND ITS MORAL. ThL result of the municipal elections in Nelson yesterday may come as a surprise to some ; but those who have watched closely the trend of recent events will be prepared to say that only the expected has happened. One of the most popular, trusted, and suitable citizen possible to select for the office of Mayor in the city failed by a narrow majority to secure return, because he was handicapped by the sympathy the sitting Mayor has won in consequence of the opposition of the majority in the ex- j pired Council. This sympathy is not I so much discriminative as the affirma | tion of a principle that the chair must be upheld. Many issues have been ob scurcd. But the desire has been for a firm support of the Mayoral office within the Council, and to give the Mayor a chance of carrying to the end a policy which he has deemed rightly or wrongly to be thc best for the ratepayers. It is more than probable that had there been less opposition to the Mayor by the now extinguished majority in the Council — had Mr .Piper not been somewhat martyrised — his opponent yesterday on his own merits solely "might have been the chosen Mayor of Nelson to-day. • « # # # With regard to the Councillors, il will be seen from the returns that only one of the old "majority" has beer sent back, and that in a very respectable position (4th) on the poll. At thc same time, two of tho "minority" oc cupy second and third positions, while the third member of the "minority" has lost his seat. Analysing the new Council, the Mayor may reckon on ? following of five or six on adherence tt specification issues in general ; but among these there are at least two who, being practical men, will assuredly take a common sense view of necessary and unavoidable variations. On general lines the new Council may be regarded as more likely than the last to work harmoniously. There J£ a strong infusion of "new blood," and among the Councillors there are several business and practical men. On the whole, the selection of Councillors is good, and the body may be expected to take a business-like and commonsense view of matters coming before it without indulging in useless debate and wordiness. While it cannot be denied ihat a sectional appeal has had its effect on the re-election of the Mayor and the constitution of the old Council, it is a matter for congratulation that no member has entered the Council bound by written or implied pledge to be governed 0* coejeed by outside bodies. Presently, if the Council intend to do its duty, it will have to inquire earnestly jnto "leakages" due to the inefficiency, slackness, »nd above all lack of proper supervision of labour. It will also have to decide on purely business and economic lines tho important issues of contract against day labour in connection with further work on the drainage scheme. To have had the hands of the Council tied by pledges to outside bodies on such an issue as this would have been suicidal. Fortunately, only the Mayor and a minority of the new Councillors ha-ve already avowed themselves uncompromisingly in favour of day labour, and hence the decision still remains open. * * # . # Turning to other issues, the new Council is expected to lower the rates by at least a penny in the pound, and yet maintain the city efficiently. The ways and means have been set forth in various schemes. But among these the placing of the gasworks on a business footing, making the Abattoir self-sup-porting, some measure of re-assessment, and a determination to ensure complete supervision of Corporation labour should find a prominent place. For the' rest, the Mayor has sought to have his hands strengthened, and his appeal has been responded to: It remains to be seen whether he will be able to agree with the new Council now that he has ! had his way. It is the earnest desire ; of all who have the best Interests of I the city at heart, however, that the i drainage scheme should be proceeded ; with as rapidly as possible, that tfie | gasworks should be put on a better footing bpth as to light and revenue, and that tviiere Bhould be harmony and , dignity of debate an tjae Council. With the work before it, .the new Council • wiil not "have much time either for J ; long discussions or for debates on ab-| J stract municipal ideals. fy is hoped!'. ' therefore that all the good results expected from the sweeping changes made i and by the strengthening of the Mayor's I hands may be realised as quickly as possible. More than this it is impossible to say till the new Council has been put to the test during the coming months. "