The Star. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 1808.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 89, 26 August 1868, Page 2

The Star. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 1808.

Tjtk ' ratopayora of Chritttohurch will bo uallcd (in, in a low dayfl, to oxoraiao their privilcgon in tho olooliou of throo Councillors to supply tbo placo of Moufli'H \V. Wilrion, «)'. Andoivion, and H. Thomnon, whono torm of odico lmn oxptrod, and who wlim according to tho pj'oviuioDH of M»o Municipal Uorpornfcionii Act 1807, Thia boinpf tbo caao, and a« wo hopo to boo a livoly intorail; taken in the aloolion, wo oliall ondonvour to (>\vo our midoru hoido informaU'nn übimt; tbo inodo in whiuli il in to bo conducted. 13eforo doing i\o, wo would point out that tho nolii'o of election pubii«hod in our morning contemporary of thin dato, nppcni'H to uh (lofcctivo in ab hnmii ono rfeHpoct, By that notico, tho public aro in for/nod that tho annual oloolion of Councillors will take placo on a certain dato, tluit il> in noccwiary to norainnto candidates beforo a cortttin dato, and thai; a )»ominatiou pnpor muni; bo, signed by ho many poraoiiH duly qunlillod to voto, cxcluhlvo of tho pai'ubu uominatod. Bo fur, good, But why does tho notico not inform tho ratepayer how muny Tacnnoioß rvo to bo flllod up ? Thin, wo think, w an important pieco of information. Evory ratepayer cannot flflbn! l<ho 1/imo which would bo con* Humod byftviMittothoßoroughOlorlc in ordor to find this out, and many havo littlo inclination to go in noarch of information. Wo mny bo told that tho Act (loon nob require tho information to bo givon. To this wo answer, first,

that it dooii, and Hocond, fcliafc ovoa if it dooH not;, tlio information oujjht ntill to bo given m a public couvomonoo, Wo havo ciaia tlmfc tho Act doo.s i'oquiro tlio information to bo givon, but wo iu'o at tho namo fcitno proparod to admit tlmt thoro in no mprcas provision, to thin effect, By implication, howover, tlio Aofc evidently moniui tho ratepayers to bo duly informed, for it !il;if;oft tliut if tho immbor of candidate nominated oxcoodfl tho number of Counoillorfl to bo oleclod, then tho lloturning Officer shall miiko cortnin pi'Oj)rti'«tion« for <i eontofltod oloction. Now, how aro tho ratopayora to know -whether tho ca-ndi-datca exceed llio vacahcioH, unloaa tho numlior of tho latfcar i« publicly notified ? By inquiring afc the Borough Council olßuo, This, to many of tlio rnfconftycr/i, na wo havo alro/uly remarked, mcanfl a conaidorablo loss of timo. Wo notioo, moreover, that in tho I/jttolton and Kninpoi. notioon, tho ratopayciM are nuppliod with the information wo havo boon roferring to, and wo trust tho Mayor of Christohuroh will hoo fll; to havo tho notioo uridor bin namo altored in tho manner HllggCMt'Od. Evory portion whoso namo in on tho burgoHO-i'oll of tho borough for tho timo bointf, in entitled to voto at tho oloction of Councillors," Tho oloction in to bo hold "by and boforo tho Mayor of tho borough." If ho Hhould 1)0 " incapable " of anting -— wo huvo looked carefully through tho Act, ( and wo really cannot find a definition of tho word " incnpubUi " a^ applied to tho Mayor, yot it ih important — or rofuao to act, tho Borough Council may appoint aomo ouo to proflido. In default of tho Council doing w, tho Superintendent may appoint, Any poroon who doairo,* to iiommato a c/indidato, " hImII, boforo four of tho clock in tho afboruoon of tlio day next procoding tho nominu* , tion day, oahho to bo delivered to thoj Roturning Ofilcora nomination paper " aftor ft pattorn givon, or to a liko offoofc, The nomination paper muat oontain tho chriatiaii namo and sunuuno of tho candidate, and bo signed by not loss than throo poruonn duly qualified to voto at tho eloction, as woll an by tho candidates him«olr. 'J.'ho laat part of tho proviso ia undernlood to Bignity tho amonb of thooandidato U> bo nominatocl. NoporaonwhoHhallnothavoboon nominated an above douaribod shall bo doomed to bo a candidate, l l ho llo« turning Ofllcor Jo enjoined, " upon oaoh day botwoon tho giving of public notice of any oloetion and tho day of nomination numod therein," to post, and keep poafcod, outnido the place named for tho dolivory of nomination papora, "in Homo public and conspicuouh place," tho namoH of all pornonfi who Bhall provionwly havo bocomo candidafcoa, If, at tho expiration of tho timo limited for tho nomination of candidatOH, tho number of portions who ahall havo bocome candidatCß nhall not exceed tho numbor of Councillor/* to be olootod, tho lleturning Officer hIiuII, on the day nppointod' for tho oloction, doclaro uuch candidatoa to bo duly elected. I'ho information wo havo givon abovo for tho bonoflt of thoso who do not pounce, or who havo no opportunity of <;on«ulting, a copy of tho Act, rolatOH mainly to tho nomination of candidates. Wo shall tako auothor opportunity of flaying something about polling and othor matters connected with tlio oloction I In tho moantimo, wo may bo pormittod to givo tho ratepayers a few wordn of advieo. Wo addrctm oui'holvoh more particularly to those wlioho intoronta aro in what may bo tormed tho " outlying diatricta" of tlio city, and wo do ho bocauno we havo frequently boon tho tnofmtj of bringing thoir griovanecH boforo tho notico of tho Counoil and tho public generally. Wo havo no hoaitation in telling thouo who livo at Homo dtotanco from tho centre of tho city, that it ia thoir duty, now that thoy havo an opportunity, to look tiharply aftor thoir intoroata. Ilithorto, thoy havo not beau represented in tho Council, and thoy ought to make a dotorminod oAbrt to fill up ono or moro of tho .vacancioa now odvortisod, If thoy do not tako tho troublo to do thia, if thoy do not übo overy Jogitimato mcano to uccuro tho return of mon in whom thoy have full confldonco, \t thoy do not malco a united ondoa* your to havo thomeolvos and thoir intoro»tu roprctiontod in tho Council—

bhoy may roab asuurcd that ju4ioo will bo only tardily doalfc out; to thorn.