The Sun MONDAY, APRIL 28, 1919. THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VI, Issue 1623, 28 April 1919, Page 6

The Sun MONDAY, APRIL 28, 1919. THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

So many extraneous issues arc being introduced into the municipal elections that it is necessary to remind our ceaders that they arc held primarily for the purpose of choosing representative citizens to sit as a municipal council, with power to levy rates and expend the proceeds on the efficient and economical administration of the city. Judging by the electioneering tactics.of some of the persons who aspire to seats at the council table, one might be led to suppose that municipal elections were provided by law merely to permit of referenda being taken on such questions as conscription, the cost of living, Bible-in-schools, freetrade, aerial navigation, State control of the liquor trade, and many other things, not omitting canals and harbours. It is certainly both curious and anomalous that new candidates for municipal honours should make no attempt to overhaul the city's accounts, to criticise the policy and administration of the old council, and try to show haw much better they could run the city if given the opportunity to do so: on the contrary, they talk at great length on questions which will never come before them as councillors, and once the election is over will be promptly dropped. Two years ago the mayor and the council were elected on the conscription issue: this year it looks as if the deciding factor would be the popular opinion regarding a canal. This sort of thing is surely making a farce of municipal politics. During the past few day* our readers have been treated to some fantastic nonsense on the subject of the canal from Dr Thacker, who alleges that a harbour at Heathcote can be made for some £700,000, while better access to Lyttelton by means of a tunnel road, etc., can only be obtained at a cost of £2,250,000. If the figures were reversed they would be much nearer the mark, because in estimating the cost of tunnelling it is possible to calculate with some degree of accuracy what the cost of rock cutting per yard will amount to, but when it comes to dredging the quicksands of the estuary and building retaining walls, there are no data upon Which Dr Thacker can furnish estimates that tire worth five minutes' consideration. In any case, what is the use of taking any notice of the figures of a man who is so careless of his facts that he accused a New Zealand officer of being a German and of deserting to the enemy, when, as a matter of fact, he was no more a German than Dr Thacker, and was doing his bit at the front while Dr Thacker stayed at home and traduced him! We put it to our readers that, while the canal question is quite a proper one to consider in connection with the choice of representatives for the Harbour Board, it is quite out of place in connection with the mayoralty. There is one aspect of the elections, however, which we would earnestly commend to the consideration of the citizens. Most of the candidates are advocating progressive schemes for city improvements, and all of them are unanimous in regard to housing and extensions of the electrical supply, water and drainage systems. These things involve heavy expenditure, "Nvhich means increased municipal indebtedness. Now, it is a matter of common knowledge that it is very difficult to carry a loan proposal in Christchurch. The political activities of extremists are viewed with the greatest possible distrust by the ratepayers in this city, and if irresponsibles like Dr Thacker and a Labour majority get into power, the ratepayers are not such fools as to give them a blank cheque by voting for any loan proposal, no matter how necessary the ostensible object might be. Such schemes as .we have referred to above can only be put in hand by men who have the confidence of the citizens and who can be trusted with the handling of Other money. So far as Labour representation is concerned, we should not like it to be inferred that we are in any. way hostile to it. There are several Labour representatives offering their services whose

defeat will be a loss to the city; but it is indeed unfortunate that the shortcomings of the rest are so obvious. As long as the Labour Representation Committee selects nonentities of this class it can hardly expect to capture the council.