NEW POLLS ACT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 67, 26 April 1944, Page 5

NEW POLLS ACT

BOROUGH COUNCIL'S POSITION

ROYAL COMMISSION REQUESTED

Reviewing the effect of the recent enacted' Local Polls and Elections Act, the Mayor, Mr B. S. Barry, at the April meeting of the Whakatane Borough Council said' that everybody in the Borough was now under penalty for failure to enroll and that it was now possible for every employee of the council to stand ,for election if he or she so desired, The Town Clerk for instance could stand l for Mayoreven though he were still acting as Returning Officer. The question of Hospital rates came very prominently into the picture,, said Mr Barry, m the event of a council of >non-ratepay-ers being elected it would have the power without reference to the ratepayers, to make and levy a loan which might be out of all proportion to the financial ability of the town. Cr Creeke: Would it be possible for employees of the council to be elected and run the whole town? The Mayor: Yes. It is law nofw of course, and I don't expect there is much that we can do about it. Discussing the matter more fully it was the; common opinion of councillors that the whole question of local government should be made the subject of a Royal Commission, to investigate fully the pros and cons of the rating incidence and to bring down a report, with suggested reforms and a fairer basis of. levying for future, guidance.