POSTPONEMENT OF ELECTIONS.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20168, 21 February 1931, Page 14

POSTPONEMENT OF ELECTIONS.

♦ IS 1 . ECONOMY MOVE. If, 1 MANY DIFFICULTIES SUGGESTED. According to opinions given yesterday to The Press, there are difficulties of practice and principle in the suggestion of the Mayor of Hamilton (Mr J. R. Fow) that municipal and other local body elections should be deferred to meet the present need of economy. Apart from the fact that the Christchurch City Council and other municipal authorities in New Zealand have already spent money in preparation for the May elections, the wisdom of tampering with an important democratic principle is closely questioned. "Financially, over the M'liole of the Dominion, a postponement- would he a great gain," said the Mayor (Mr J. K. Archer). "The danger is, however, that if you once tamper with a principle of democratic control you create a precedent which a Government might one day use in its own interests and against the interests of the people. At the present time, on any public body, the power is vested in the hands of a certain majority, and if you postpone an election' you prevent the people from expressing their approval or disapproval of anything that has been done or proposed. It is, after all, a question for the Government to decide, and one wonders whether we have a Government with sufficient moral courage to do it." Mr Archer mentioned his difficulty in expressing an opinion as Mayor, since it might be held against him that he was trying to safeguard his own position. Reduction of Local Bodies. The president of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce (Mr H. S. E. Turner) considered that it was too late to make suggestions for the next elections. "A more useful source of economy," he said, ''would be to carry out the policy suggested by the Prime Minister in his recent statement of reducingthe number of local bodies. Bather than save a few thousands on the elections, we should devote the next three months to a thorough examination of the' position with a view to reducing the number of local bodies substantially." It is, of course, impossible to estimate what the total saving in New Zealand would be if no elections were held in May. The last election for the Christchurch City Council, the North Canterbury Hospital Board, and the Lyttelton Harbour Board coßt altogether £3340, comprising £lll4 for the rolls and £2226 for the actual expenses of election. Over the whole Dominion, therefore, the savings should be a very considerable sum. The Christchurch City Council has already spent between £BOO and £9OO in the printing of rolls for the next election, and the preliminary, expenditure in each of the other centres is probably about the same amount. "Riding Economy to Death." ■ ! fit- seems like riding economy to death, especially since under the law a certain expenditure has already been incurred/' said Mr A. Taylor, chairman of the Christchurch Citizens' Association. He emphasised the value of havnig an expression of opinion from tho citizons, and the fact that this expression of opinion would make them more satisfied for the succeeding two years. ' "It is far more important that the Cotmcil which is returned should be thoroughly imbued with the ideas of economy," said.Mr Taylor. Necessity for By-Elections. Mr E. H. Andrews, chairman of the City Council's .Finance Committee and tho senior councillor, pointed out that the ""cities and the larger boroughs had probably all already: spent considerable sums on the preparation of the rolls. At least two difficulties would arise through tho postponement ' of the elections: there would possibly be the necessity for two or three by-elections, and the parties in the minority on the local bodies would be almost certain to complain. Farther, if the election were postponed only for. one year the cost sronld not be saved, but merely held back. "There would be no real saving unless one election iB cut out altogether,"* said. Mr Andrews. Altogether he questiqned the wisdom of a postponement. He suggested,, however, that it might be worth while to consider the question of extending the term of City Councils and' local bodies from two to three years. Over the vphole of New Zealand, this would represent a substantial saving, since a complete election would be sa.ved each six years.