THE GLOBE. MONDAY, JULY 28, 1879.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1696, 28 July 1879, Page 2

THE GLOBE. MONDAY, JULY 28, 1879.

On the second Thursday in September will occur the first annual election of Councillors for the Municipality of Christchurch under the regr l ations which provide for such election when a borough has been divided into wards. Under the provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1876, all the present Councillors will then have to go out of office, and the burgesses of each of the four wards into which [Christchurch is divided will bo called to elect throe persons as Councillors. The City Council will next year consequently consist of twelve persons (three to each ward) and the Mayor. In each succeeding year one Councillor from each ward will resign his office, ho who has received the smallest number of votes in any ward being the first to retire of the three elected for that ward. Not less than fourteen days before the day of election the Returning Officer will have to give public notice thereof, and appoint a place within each ward and will, besides, have to fix a day, not less than five or more than ten days after such publication, for the nomination of candidates. The second Thursday in September falls this year on the 11th, consequently the Returning Officer w'll issue his notification not later than August 28th, and the nomination will take place on some day between September 2nd and 7th. We have thought it well to call the attention of the citizens of Christchurch thus early to these facts, because it seems to us that it is now not too soon for them to commence turning their attention in the direction of making the most of the opportunity that will then bo open to them. There is no doubt but that during the past year the citizens have not been altogether satisfied with the doings of the Council. When the importance of Christchurch, both intrinsically and relatively to other New Zealand cities, is taken into consideration, it is a matter of serious regret that the character of its Council for dignity and business capacity does not stand higher. It is not pleasant when reading papers from other parts of the colony to come across some paragraph suggesting that the Christchurch City Council Chamber is no more or less than a bear garden. Nor is it pleasant to reflect that our municipal affairs are handed over to any other than to such as wo should be glad to entrust with our private and most cherished interests. Wo do not wish it to be inferred from this that we think that none of the gentlemen at present holding seats in the Council are qualified to do justice to the position, and to justify tho choice that their fellow citizens have made. On th« contrary, several of tho Councillors are, we take it, men to whom no exception whatever can bo taken. But what wo say —and wo fancy wo are backed by tho general consent of the ratepayers—is, that the citizens have no reason to bo proud of the figure made by tho present Council during the past year, when the Council is viewed collectively. It is with

mnch regrot that we make this assertion, for it is no pleasant task to find fault, but truth compels us to assert that the citizens of Christchurch arc not at present worthily represented. When we reflect on the true position of a City Councillor, when wo realise the fact that, in theory at least, ho is a man picked out by his fellow-citizens as being eminently qualified in every respect to manage their affairs and to maintain the dignity of his office, it is evident that the ratepayers, if they possess a true sense of their own dignity, should not be satisfied unless they were represented by a stamp of man who could not only bo thoroughly trusted, but could be thoroughly looked up to and respected. No City Councillor possessing that innate dignity of mind which alone should render him a suitable candidate for municipal honors, would over for an instant place it within the power of his electors either to regret their choice or to look with pitying indulgence on his freaks in the Council Chamber. Municipal honors are a worthy goal towards which aU may press, and citizens are extremely to blame if they ever forget that their own reputation is bound up in that of their representatives. Moreover, there is another point, though a minor one, to bo taken into consideration. The Mayor, on (taking office, solemnly declares that ho will faithfully and impartially, and to the best of his skill and judgment, execute the powers and authorities vested in him as Mayor. Now, there are two sides to overy agreement, and, while the Mayor thus asserts that ho will do his beat for the individuals who have elected him, it is manifestly the duty of the citizens to see that the Council over which ho presides should not impede him in his endeavours to conscientiously perform his varying duties. The present Mayor has, wo may fairly assert, done Ins best to carry out the promise that be made at the time of his election, but his position has been one of groat difficulty. Ha has been so hampered by the actions of some of the Councillors that he cannot bo considered to have had fair play, and the citizens must face the fact that they have rot perfoi-mcd their part of the contract in its entirety, and that their chief officer has frequently been annoyed and hindered in a manner which ho had no right to expect when undertaking to preside over a body of men presumably chosen from the pick of the citizens. On all grounds, then, it is desirable that the opportunity that will occur on the 11th of September of making a new departure in municipal matters should not bo allowed to pass unprofitably. The occasion will be one of very groat importance. Not only will the whole body of the future Councillors have to be frcsl’y elected, but the general tone of the Council for many years to come will be at stake. Only one out of three Councillors elected for each ward retires every year, and it is evident that if a body of men are chosen, consisting of individuals, whose calibre is not satisfactory, that it will be a matter of great difficulty to purge the Council of the objectionable element. We would earnestly ask the citizens to take the situation into their most serious consideration. We are confident that if the proper men were properly approached there would be no lack of suitable candidates. No man with a grain of patriotism, and who can afford the time, would hesitate to come forward and place his services at the disposal of his fellow citizens. Ratepayers have hitherto been in the habit of treating Municipal elections far too flippantly. If wo are to have a City Council at all let it be composed of the best possible elements. A Council composed of unsuitable units can do an infinitely of damage not only to the pockets of the inhabitants, but to the reputation of the city. It is a mistake to imagine that because the jurisdiction of the Council does not extend beyond tho bounds of the borough that therefore it is matter of no great moment who may be elected to serve in it. The Council possesses extensive powers, and though the area of its rule is limited, yet the very fact ef the effects of its decision coming home to us daily, and crossing our path at overy turn, renders it peculiarly desirable that tho framers of our local laws should possess sufficient ability to render them practical and serviceable, and sufficient tact to lesson that sense of irritation that a too close acquaintance with tho individual in power so often engenders. Wo trust a new departure will be made at the next election, and that not only will tho citizens rise to tho occasion, but that there will be no lack of desirable candidates for the positions of trust and honor to bo then filled.