ELECTING OWN MAYOR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18455, 19 July 1923, Page 10

ELECTING OWN MAYOR.

PRIVILEGE OF COUNCILS.

" SUGGESTION REJECTED.

[by telegraph.—press ASSOCIATION.] CHKESTCHURCH. Wednesday. A proposal that municipal councils should have the right to elect their Own Mayors without separate election provoked a good deal of discussion at to-day's sit-? ting of the Municipal Association. A remit to that effect was submitted by the Wellington, Avondale, Taihape, Balclutha, Foxton, Hawera, Taumarunui, and Eastbourne Boroughs. " The remit was supported on the grounds that the Mayor ; should ; have council experience, and also that at times, when three candidates stood for office, the services of the two defeated candidates were lost 'to tho council. *

Mr. H. L. Tapley (Mayor of Dunedin) said he was opposed to the remit. It was, not a, democratic proposal, for. tho peoplo had the right to elect their own Mayor. It might happen that there, would be a party on a council who could elect anyone they liked. It did not follow that a Mayor need be an experienced councillor, for councillors were out fox* tho benefit of their city, and they would see that any good measure brought forward by the Mayor was adopted. He agreed with the mover that it was regrettable that the services of the defeated Mayoral candidate should be lost to tho council. The only way to get over the difficulty would be to allow a man to be a Mayoral and council candidate at the same time. ;

A Voice: They can do that now. The Chairman, Mr. J. A. Flesher: Yes, but it is dangerous. A member said it should be made mandatory that the councillor who tonned the poll .should be elected ' Mayor. (Cries of "Oh.") . •■...•,.. Another Member: It is not , necessary for a man to have had previous council experience. Anybody can become a councillor, but it takes a . man. to become a Mayor. (Laughter, and "hear, hear.") Miss Melville (Auckland) supported tho remit. She,, said that a New Zealand Mayor had to bo a sound, business man, and she was glad to say in nearly all cases Mayors had good business', qualities. Auckland had , a perfect Mayor, but she maintained, the existing principle of election was wrong. All other, local bodies elected . their own chairman. Tho remit was. defeated. The next remit which came before the conference , was. from Devonport, and it also referred to the election of Mayor and council, as follows; "That in order to assist continuity .of policy, provision be made for one-third of the councillors to retire annually, and that the council be elected for a period of three years, instead of two years, as at present," An amendment was adopted that it be a recommendation that there should be a triennial election for Mayor and council.