The Sydney City Council.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19166, 24 November 1927, Page 8

The Sydney City Council.

Sydney newspapers to hand by yesterday's mail give details of the City Council Bill, which, according to a cable printed this morning, went through a second reading in the New South Wales Assembly in the face of fierce Labour opposition. The scheme is a very simple one. The City is to be administered by a Commission of three appointed by the Governor who will possess and exercise as they deem necessary practically all the powers of the Council. One of the Commissioners, to be called the Chief Commissioner, will perform the duties of a Lord Mayor and at the monthly meetings of

the Commission will have a deliberative and a casting vote. Once a year the Commission will furnish the Assembly with "full and true reports of " their proceedings, and accounts of all "moneys raised and expended." The Labour Party opposes this scheme ostensibly because it violates the principles of "democracy," but really because of the provision which empowers the Commission to investigate such matters relating to previous administrations as they may deem necessary, or as the Governor may direct, " in order "to ascertain whether, and if so to "what extent, the conduct in relation "to such matters of any person, " whether the holder of civic office or "not, has been corrupt, dishonest, or "improper." The administration of Sydney by the present Labour Council has been corrupt and wasteful, and the persistent refusal of Mr Lang to hold an enquiry into its doings gave it an unfortunate sense of its own security. Mr Bavin's scheme is only a temporary measure to probe and straighten out the City's affairs—the Commission will cease to function on December 31st, 1929—but as an experiment in municipal government the working of the scheme will be watched with great interest abroad. Many American cities are now governed by Commissions, either elected or nominated, and the idea has been toyed with more than once in this country. The control of civic affairs by men chosen for their business knowledge and ability has many obvious advantages, and a trial on such a large scale in a British community will be worth watching.