CIVIC CONSCIOUSNESS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23067, 18 June 1938, Page 19

CIVIC CONSCIOUSNESS

Sir, —According to a report in the Herat,d of June 15, the Auckland Citizens and Association is now to have rules and a constitution. The president is reported to have said at the meetings that the association had won the Power Board, City Council and Harbour Board elections, in spite of the fact that it possessed neither rules nor a constitution, and he regarded that as a sign that citizens were now realising the necessity for their taking an active and intelligent interest in the government of the city. Now I would like to be able to agree with Mr. Fee that such was the case, but 1 do not think the elections prove it. In the first place the election advertisements of the Citizens' Association and the published reports of speeches of its candidates, did not disclose any municipal programme, only repeated references to the evils of caucus rule. It was not in any sense an appeal to intelligence, but rather an effort, successful as it turned out, to stampede electors by fear of a thing called " caucus." And that tactic was made" to apply not only to the City-Council, where there had been a caucus—though even there there was little or no criticism of what the caucus had done. It was made to apply to the Harbour Board, which is so constituted, and has such a diversity of representation that a caucus is not possible. It was made to apply to the Power Board, too, and the resnltr there was to return to office practically the old board, which in the past had done its work more quietly, more in committee, and more successsfully than many bodies which indulge in more open discussion. The appeal made by the association was to people's fears, not to their intelligence, and I think the votes show the effect of that appeal. I think ticket voting is not merely wrong, but it is undemocratic and dangerous, but if it is to be the rule, then it is perhaps some safeguard that we should at least know who selects the ticket and how, and for that reason it is well that the new association is to have rules and n constitution, though what will happen if some .of those of the association's candidates who have been do not happen to agree with the rules and the constitution now to be adopted is a little difficult to imagine. Tom Bloodworms.