MATTERS MUNICIPAL.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 550, 21 October 1881, Page 2

MATTERS MUNICIPAL.

It is to be hoped that, in the interest erokod by the coming County Council election, matters municipal will not be (ivcrloone'l. We .suppose th-ii the burgesses generally recollect that the time for filling tins Mayoral chair for another year is iV.r.t approaching, an-1 that they .should look round and on -eavor to discover who is t'u , . fittest person willing to fill tlmfc onei-om and ro>po:mi!j]u posfc.

There is nothing more advantageous to Ji borough than to have a good Mayor, and nothing m<re disadvantageous than to li.ive a bad one. Many people who huvn mo opportunity of juicing of a pi a co in any other "way, ju-lgo it by the persons oleoted to fill responsible position?, in the town, and of these the Mayor is certainly the most

1 prominent At all public ceremonials His Worship has to take the lead, so he should have a good address. Courtesy is another indispensable qualification, and of course he should also be a good man of business, as he has to decide many a nice point, and is frequently called upon to exercise his judgment promptly. If there is one thing more wretchedly humiliating than another it is to see the chief magistrate of a town utterly unable to act for himself, and depending entirely on the Town Clerk and his other officers to instruct him in his duties ; and we are sorry to say this is by no means uncommon. A man is often pitchforked into the Mayoral chair from the fact that he has been in the Counc : l a long time—just because it is , his turn, in fact—and no tiling can be more ill advised than this practice. A man may be a capital Councillor, and may yenr after year fulfil the functions of that position in a manner highly advantageous to the burgesses, and yet be a wretched Mayor. In a Council, men with a practical knowledge of the works being carried on are absolutely necessary, particularly on the Works Committee ; but these are often men of few words, and would be utterly unable to control a stormy public meeting, or welcome a Premier or some other distinguished stranger, and point out the beauties and advantages of the place, with that suavity and tact needed to make the most favoiable impression.

It is a sad thing to have to say, bu it is a fact, that a Mayor should have some means, for he is always being called u)on to put his hands in his pocket, more especially in the poorer municipalities. This fact is so well recognised that, where Corporations can afford it, it is generally the custom to grant His Worship a sum in the shape of an honorarium ; and even then he is usually a considerable loser at the expiration of his term of office.

Last, but not least, the Mayor should be a firm believer in the borough o which he is the head. He should have a firm conviction of its resources and its importinc",, and should never fail to point these out on every possible occasion. It should be his aim to encourage any new, and foster any existing enterprise, and he should be open to hear at all.times the complaints of the poorest as well as the advice of tho richest citizens. Taken alfcogeth t, the position is a most arduous, and too often a very un thankful one, but at the same time it is one ot which any man should be proud, for he must have the confidence of many of his fellow-citizens before he is elected to the post. We think the town may be greatly congratulated on the manner in which the municipal work is carried on here, and we are sure the conduct of the meetings deserves all praise, and is a model for many bodies that consider themselves of far more importance to follow.

Let us therefore -ba careful who we select for our new Mayor. We should like to see a contest, for it shows a healthy ambition, and lotuls to the ventilation of many important matters ; and we have always noticed that apathy in this and similar matters is the worst possible sign in a borough, and the most fatal to the interests of the burgesses. We are glad to see, since writing , the above, that one of the burgesses has announced himself as willing , to occupy the post of Mayor, and wo should like to see others come forward, if they intend to do so, at once, so that the ratepayers may have time to hear their views and ju Ige who is fittest to fill this important position.