A Query.

Southland Times, 30 June 1885, Page 3

A Query.

. . «. TO THE EDITOR. Biß,--There is a matter ttpon which I have been much' troubled for some time past, and which appears to be difficult of ' settlement. The "Municipal Corpora* tiohs Act, 1876," say?, in effect— " That whprea borough i?so subdivided into wards that there shall be an even number of Councillors, half that number shall faint a quorum, but where the borough is so subdivided that the number of councillors is odd a clear majority shall be necessary to form a quornm." This appears clear enough, but there \b room for a difficulty which hat cropped up. The mayor of any borough has a deliberative And a casting vote. Is he included in the number of councillors by virtue of his office and his power to vote ? In other words — does Invercargill, with four wards and three councillors for each, count as' haviDg 12 or 13 councillors, and are 6 oonncillor» and ihe mayor necessary for a quorum ; or, in the absence of his Worship, would six members of the Council be at I barty to transact th« business 1 In the sale of South Invercargill— which hai thre* wards and three members for each, and a mayor— would the borough count as havi lg sine or ten councillors, and would four councillors and his WoTship form a quorum; or, would five co"ncilloM ba necessary for the tiansaction of business ? By answering this; question you would set at rent my mind and tioae of a number of other ratepayers in 6)uth Invercargill; -I am &c.. .W, P. South Invercargill, June29;b, 1885. [Oar correspondent has overlooked clause 51, which provides that "the major shall be aeon icillor in Virtue of his. .office." Olauße 74 says that "all powers vested io the Gonncil may ba exercised by .a qupfuroV, Whfojh Shall consist of half the ?y/«?fc 'number of council* lorßwlen tbat number is even, and of a'imajotity'of the whole number of councillors -* when aich' number is odd." It fo' lows— the mayorbeing a councillor— that the number of coaicillors in South Invercargill is ten (an evm number) and the quorum therefore is five. In the Invercarßill Council there are th;rteen members including the mayor, therefcre the quorum is seven.— Kd.] •■