The New Zealand Times. TUESDAY, JULY 30, 1912. THE MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8186, 30 July 1912, Page 6

The New Zealand Times. TUESDAY, JULY 30, 1912. THE MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE.

The meeting of delegates to the Municipal Conference opened yesterday in Wellington. Such gatherings as the Municipal Conference play dn important part in local government, and, naturally, exercise considerable influence upon legislation. The need for change and adjustment is everlasting, and it is through the deliberation of conferences like this that Parliament can be best informed of the alterations required in the machinery through which the administration of local affairs is conducted in our cities and towns. In welcoming the delegates to the Conference w-Vich opened yesterday, the Mayor of Wellington made what seems a very good suggestion by which tho usefulness of the Conference might be considerably extended. This was that special papers on the control of municipal enterprises should be written by men who have made a study of one or other of these things, and be read while tho Conference is in session. ' Tho idea is a thoroughly good one.

Coming to the work done by the .Conference yesterday, we are compelled to express some regret that it was unable to see its way to recommend change in the period for which a Mayor is elected and also the method of choice. The arguments in favour oi the Mayoral tenure being for the same length of time as for councillors and also for the Mayor being selected from members of the Council seem to us overwhelming. No sound reason has over been advanced for an annual election of Mayors nor for the system which permits a man with no working knowledge of municipal affairs being made the head and front of administration. In Wellington the citizens have had some rather unfortunate experiences of this sort, and would gladly see an end put to the present system. Mr McLaren’s contention that it would be "retrogressive” to allow councillors to elect the Mayor from amongst thei number has no more practical force than the contention of the gentleman who met the argument that municipal bodies should elect their chairmen i the same way as harbor boards and county councils by saying that the latter did not “get the best men” as chairmen. Does popular election give us “ the best men ” P We hardly/think so, and are inclined to believe that a gathering of chairmen of harbor_boards and county councils- would compare more than favourably with any equal number of Mayors. The proposal tli" councillors should be elected for three years was also a good suggestion, but appears to have received very short shrift.

• • • • • In asking that the stylo of voting at elections hold under the Local Elections Act should bo similar to that employed for the choice of members 9f Parliament, the Conference is making a reasonable request. From every possible point of view it is desirable to have conformity In these matters, and the probability is that the Government will turn an attentive ear to this proposal. The Ministry has before it the task of rearranging our electoral system and inaugurating proportional representation. It would be a simple matter to give local bodies tho option of employing this well-tried and thoroughly admirable method of election in local government,. So far as prohibition ‘of canvassing for votes is concerned, the resolution brought before the Conference was unfortunately vague. The idea is one which at times finds some degree of support in Parliament, but invariably upon grounds exceedingly flimsy. No barm is done by a body of electors working within limits to secure the return of a given candidate, and nothing but harm would result from repressing such activity. Wo thoroughly agre* with the views expressed by Mr Hislop on this point. The political and civic spirit or the community should certainly not be forced into holes and' corners. • • • • •

The theory' of the delegate from Grey Lynn that many “valuable men” are lost to municipal government because of present methods is very wide of the mark. It unfortunately happens that a great many men who consider themselves “valuable” are incurably lazy and are glad to make any specious excuse such as this in defence of their attitude of shirk towards public service. These people are well out of local and general government. The decision against trying to “raise revenue” by taxing amusements was in conformity with common-sense, and not many people will quarrel with the Conference far rejecting the dangerous proposal to give local bodies authority to subsidise A. and P. societies.