The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1883. The Borough Council Elections.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1040, 5 September 1883, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1883. The Borough Council Elections.

Next week the burgesses of Ashburton will be called upon to decide which of the six gentlemen nominated shall be chosen to fill up the vacancies in the Borough Council. Municipal elections in larger towns do not attract much attention, but in smaller communities such events are»looked forward to with considerable interest. The three councillors who are retiring this year are Messrs Ivess, Roberts and St. Hill, and of these only the last named is seeking re-election. We shall at any rata have imported into the Council some new blood, which, for obvious reasons, will be an advantage. The duties appertaining to the position are not by any means difficult, and no reasonable fault can be found with the manner in which they have been carried on in the past. What the Mayor said on Tuesday in regard to the outgoing members, allowing for a certain amount of harmless flattery naturally incident to such an occasion, may be accepted as representing the general opinion in Ashburton. But it does not follow that because the work has been done fairly well in the past, there are not to be found men willing to serve who would make still better councillors. Of the six candidates for the vacant seats we should regard the chances of Mr Hugo FniEDLANDERand Mr Sealy being returned as the best. The former gentleman has already occupied the office of Mayor of this borough for two years in succession, and probably nobody holds a heavier stake in the town than he does. We should regard his presence in the Council as a distinct advantage, and we have very little doubt that he will be chosen. Mr Sealy, on the other hand, may not have had much experience in municipal work, but he possesses good business capabilities, and his long residence here has furnished him with a knowledge of the wants of the district that cannot fail to be useful. As to the remaining four candidates, it is not easy to determine who is the most likely to find favor in the eyes of the ratepayers. From what Mr St Hill said at the last meeting of the Council it appears that he is not very sanguine of success, and as there is a rumor abroad that he means to contest the Mayoral seat when the proper time arrives, he will perhaps not be very much cast down should he be defeated. No one will deny that Mr St Hill has worked hard while he has been in the Council, and the only fault to be found with him is that his pugnacious disposition impels him to waste a considerable amount of time in unnecessary wordy warfare. The claims of Messrs Murray, Thomas, and Leggett are pretty evenly balanced, and it is an open question who will be chosen. Personal considerations govern an election of this kind more than anything else, and it is therefore impossible to say how the voting will go, but taking all things into consideration we think that the ratepayers will consult their own interests best by returning Messrs Friedlander, Sealy and Thomas.