The Evening Star TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1876.

Evening Star, Issue 4315, 26 December 1876, Page 2

The Evening Star TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1876.

We were rather surprised that Councillor Fish should have been opposed in his candidature in South Ward. Had it been an ordinary election, as a matter of course the opposition would have been quite fair, but it is an extraordinary one, brought about by circumstances in which the whele of the inhabitants of Dunedin are interested ; and we can hardly believe that those who are nominated in opposition to Mr Fish understand the position, or they would not have allowed their names to be brought forward. It is quite possible that tbere are some who, for private purposes, desire to have a Councillor who favors their designs to represent the ward; but if so, the time is inopportuse; and, as in reality Mr Pish resigned on public grounds, we have no doubt the whole sympathy of the ratepayers will be with him, and, to a like extent, enlisted against those who would sanction what must be considered an insult to the Municipality of Dunedin. The plain history of the matter is this: During the last session of the General Assembly an Act was introduced uito Parliament for the better construction of the Harbor Board, hitherto a nominee body. The public by this time must be well satisfied that a reform was needed. It so happened that at that very juncture a dispute arose about au endowment of land between the Corporation and the Harbor Board, and representatives of the two bodies were sent to Wellington to watch over the Corporation and Harbor Trust Bills, The issue of the dispute was that the Harbor Trust established its claim to the endowment, and for our parts we believe righteously, as well as for the greatest advantage to the future of Dunedin. But another consequence followed. In view of the Abolition of Provincial Councils, a number of Harbor Boards were constituted throughout the Colony, in every one of which, excepting Dunedin, provision was made that the Municipal Council of the Port should be represented by one of its members. But in Dunedin, whether through the skilful manipulation of the astute secretary to the Harbor Board, or the wrong-headedness of that rabid Provincialist Mr A. J. Burns, M.H.R., it was provided that "The City Council of the City of Dunedin may, in the mouth of December next, appoint two persons resident in the Province of Otago, not being members of such Council, to be members of the said Board." This of course, made room for Mr ARTHUR J. Burks resident at Mosgiel or Mr Anybodyelse resident at i'ai nam or Invercargill. >ot tSat wc think any of them likely to be chosen by th« City Council» bat, at any rite, it wp a

Blight cast upon our local administrators, a • yof o£ whicll should undoubtedly ex <mao have been a member of the Board, fortunately, the AcN only confines it prohibition to the election of City Councillors, and does not prohibit their becoming members of the Corporation, after they are elected. Thi3, then, was the cause of the resignation of Messrs Fish and Walter : - The vindication of the dignity of the City Council, and a protest against the insult upon that body by the Act of the General Assembly. We trust the ratepayers will approve their conduct by their votes. The only excuse that can be offered for this freak in legislation, by which an influential City Corporation is dissociated from an immediate voice in harbor works in which the City is so vitally interested, is that there are other Corporations, say Port Chalmers, St. Kilda, and South Dunedin, that have power to appoint two members in the manner name by the section of the Act quoted above; but we see no reason why a man who is worthy of being entrusted with municipal affairs should not, in .a popularly appointed Board, be equally eligible for both offices. For our own parts, we consider popular election in such a matter a grievous error. In all works requiring specialty of talent popular representation is a mistake. Plans that require engineering knowledge to comprehend, and years of heavy expenditure to carry into execution, are not often economically and efficiently carried out under the influence of ignorant par. tizans. Although hitherto every opportunity was afforded for the selection and appointment of the fittest and ablest men, so unintelligent a use was made of the privilege by the Provincial Executive that the Harbor Board became but a name suggestive of faction, doubt, and imbecility. It is just possible that the new Board may be an improvement upon the last; but if Superintendent and Executive failed to appoint the fittsst from among the educated classes, we hardly anticipate higher results from the more limited opportunities of judging of men's fitness possessed by the different electing bodies. Mr Fish and Mr Walter are, perhaps, the best men the Corporation could have chosen, as the Mayor did not offer his services. They are old and tried public servants ; and we are quite sure that as Mr Fish resigned his position as City Councillor with the conviction that the ratepayers of South Ward would fully appreciate the sacrifice he was making in order to vindicate the dignity of the Corporation and citizens, those gentlemen who are nominated to oppose him will at once see that they are virtually endorsing the action of the Gene ral Assembly and placing in antagonism to each other two bodies that it is of the utmost importance to the future prosperity of the City should work harmoniously together. We have not a word to say against the other candidates. They may be as good men as ever sat in a City Council, but we cannot tbink even if one is elected he will be satisfied to owe his seat in the Council to a fluke.