NEW CITY COUNCIL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 123, 28 May 1941, Page 4

NEW CITY COUNCIL

' FIRST MEETING TO-NIGHT ! INSTALLATION OF MAYOR As stipulated in the Municipal Corporation Act, the Mayor of Wanganui, 'Hon. W. J. Rogers, M.L.C., re-elected for the fifth time, comes into office ‘to-day—the first Wednesday following the declaration of the poll. He Iwill be installed to-night, and the 'ceremony, which will be open to the | public, will take place in the City Council Chambers. The declaration was made at the end of last week by the returning officer, Mr. C. R. White. I Mr. J. Siddeils, who has retired from the council, will install Mr. Rogers. At 7.30 p.m. he will occupy the Mayoral chair, and Mr. Rogers will sit on his right-hand side. Mr. Rogers, on being sworn in, will be invested with the chain of office. After I being installed in the chair he will ■ call on the members of the council to make the usual declaration in which they promise faithfully and impartially, and to the best of their ‘skill and judgment, to exercise the powers and authorities invested in them.

After the councillors have been sworn in the Mayor will retire, but | will return to the chamber, and the town clerk, Mr. C. R. Waite, will read ;a prayer, after which the ordinary .business of the council will begin. I The first business will be to apI point a deputy-Mayor. There is no ■ set procedure in making this appointment, but in the past it has been the i custom in Wanganui to appoint the Icouncillor who polled the largest ■ number of votes. At the recent elec|tion. Mr. E. W. Merewethfer (Citizens’ [Committee) headed the pell. Some i councils appoint as deputy-Mayor the ; councillor who has served the greatjest number of years and in other ,cases the Mayor appoints his own j deputy-Mayor, I The next business of the council ‘Will be to appoint committees, tojgether with their chairmen. The ! Mayor t repares a list of committees and submits them to the council for ‘ approval.

Voting among the councillors is evenly split, the Citizens' Committee and the Labour Party having six members each. The Mayor's vote, however, gives Labour a majority of one.