The Timaru Herald. THURSDAY, MAY 14, 1908. MUNICIPAL REPRESENTATION

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13594, 14 May 1908, Page 4

The Timaru Herald. THURSDAY, MAY 14, 1908. MUNICIPAL REPRESENTATION

Various defects in the municipal representation of Tima.ru are emphasised a . correspondent in four columns, this? morning. 'Some of the "defects" are ; attributable to" the system which has 1 been adopted in this town, while others are-due to the apathy of a certain section i of ,'the- bui-gesseis.. A table which we published on Tuesday, and which is quoted in ;par't by; pur ;thijt.morning, sufficiently illustrates the : aridniafies arising from the division : of the--borpiigh [ jntb wards for the purposes; of representa- ;. 'tioji, but we r may. be : ; excised fpr repro- ; ducing it in irjg entirety when we invite ' the electors to consider whether it is not time .to follow .the example of every "important, municipality ..in New Zealand by abolishing the ward system./ The table : gives the number of electors in each ward and the .valuation -of the i different divisions of the. borough : Ward. ■ ■ ••. Electors. Valuation. '. North East ■-/•;■.;.A, 335 £39.945 -South East ..,,,. 271 £9,609 -North: We5t'....... 400 £14,514 - South West .....V... i 191 .£3,484 North Suburban ... 462 .JBls.7l£» South Suburban ... . 391 ' , £9,025 This table makes it. obvious 'at' a glance that if the ward system is to be continued, the boundaries of the subdivisions want revising, something after-the style of the feadjiistmenb of the colony's electoral boundaries which is carried out subsequent to each quinquennial census. If we were to approach the subject solely from /the valuation point of -'view, the need for readjustment -is not open to * argument. Representation in return f«r taxation has been-the cdrner stone of the constitution of every British community. That was the principle ' in defence of whioh the. American colonies cut themselves adrift from, Britain. '' It is surely only, equitable, therefore, .'that 'if we are ' to have wards, the representation should have some fixed Veiafibh to the valuation rolls of ' the different divisions. Vet I Timaru .maintains a system in which each ward .returns two members, although, to take the cases of the north-east and southwest wards, one pays "annually'more than eleven times as much in rates as thft other. The Municipal Corporations Act, . however, which prescribet? the principle on which =wards are to be constituted, concerns itself, not with valuation, but with population and electors. Even on this basis, though the anomalies are not so conspicuous as when valuations are taken into account, a good case can be made out'against the present subdivision. The Act empowers a Council to alter the representation of wards so as to bring ifc as.closely as possible into proportion with the number of electors in each subdivision, a provision the justice of which will hardly be disputed. Yet in Timaru vo find that a ward containing only 191 elector's has two representatives on the Council, while a ward with '462 electors has only the same representation. There is no proportion here between the number of electors and the number of representatives. From this point of. view, also, if the ward system is to be retained, the boundaries should bo altered, or the representation amended. We agree, however, with our correspondent that insterhl of changing these arti-* iicial divisions in the. borough, it would lie be:rer to abolish wards. We cannot see that the ward system serves any useful purpose, and we may be sure that if it did, the principal cities and boroughs would have failed to discover it. Auckland and Wellington are undivided boroughs. Chrisfcchurch and Dunedin have wards consisting of the various boroughs which have amalgamated, but which, convenience in dealing with special loans raised prior to amalgamation, are retained as wards. A glance through the Municipal Handbook of New Zealand shows that, the principal boroughs—Napierj Warn gamii, Palmerston North. Nelson, Oamarri

and Incveicargill—are all undivided, ami we believe that Timaru. would «l*> well i'» follow their example. Wf are not qui*' s« confident a* our cot respondent is the change- would produce a more plentiful crop «>f candidates for municipal posit ions than the present aystem. hut there is i-» doubt that the more successful class of

th? community want awakening * > a sense of their civic duties. Ir has nten common experience alt over the -x» '•» that the "apathy of the eminent,' a.-*

one writer has call-d H, manifusts rise in regard! to local politics, and tha 1 i

cannot be dissipated until ne'*Uvr of p-«: lie affairs brings a. peieonal ptmi- f» "« upon tho.-e who refuv to div th ir sha

in managing the business of their ."'►wit John ftraham Brooke was told o<, the mayor of a German, town which owned it* meat markets, gas. telephone, water. :><■' ' tramway services. tha,f "the titi/en* tan nut help attending to tlu-ir polirt.-.d »lutivs. because had management worn I cos' them tm» much and subject the n t » v:eh ineonvenienee." As out- correspoiuKit says, tire municipal bu.»ii»e>s of Tiiicin has reached" »ued aimeasions as net. t>» I e unworthy of the interest of some of it«, commercial leaders.