MAYORALTY ELECTION.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 7342, 5 December 1884, Page 5

MAYORALTY ELECTION.

The result of the Mayoralty election is so far satisfactory that it has placed in office the most capable of the three candidates who presented themseives. flat that is not saying a great deal. The fact is that as a rule the position of Mayor has no attractions for the foremost citizens of Wellington. They do not choose to spare the time which the performance of the duties of the office requires, and the consequence is that the ratepayers have to be satisfied with gentlemen who, if more public spirit and self-sacrifice were displayed, would not have the slightest chance of election. We trust that before long an improvement will begin to manifest itself, but it would excite no surprise whatever if things went from bad to worse. In the end, and when some egregiously bad selection has been made, a reaction may set in, and the ratepayers awake fully to a sense of their duty and their interest. Wo notice that Mr Petheuick secured a large share of votes, At one time during the day many thought that he would be returned. It would be a mistake to suppose that his respectable position on the poll was an indication that all or a considerable proportion of the ratepayers who gave him their support regarded him as a fit person to be Mayor of Wellington. We are well assured that they held no such opinion. They regretted greatly that much better men had not come forward, but they had special reasons for declining to support Mr Fishes. Whatever may be his merits, and we admit that he has ability, his candidature on this occasion was a direct violation of his pledges in former years. He need not have made promises of not offering himself for election this year, but he did so, and it told against him to some extent at the poll. We look upon a broken pledge of that description as a matter which concerns the ratepayers a good deal less than the candidate, provided that the latter is likely to do better than his opponents in the office they aspire to.