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Grey River Argus, Volume XVI, Issue 2171, 24 July 1875, Page 2

The election of a Borough Auditor and Assessor, which takes place to-day, may not be of such material importance as to require prominent notice, but the principles upon which it is unfortunately becoming the fashion to make such elections are so p3culiar and antagonistic to the public interest and the purpose of the appointments that notice deserves to be taken of them, with a view to the abandonment of such principles as early as possible The purpose for which such an appointment is made is plainly enough mdi catod in its name, and, of course, implies the existence of competency as an accountant and extreme accuracy in the supervision of accounts. On this understanding, an I there can be no other, the practice should be to base the choice of men upon their merits. But, so far from this being the practice, personal or party sympathies are permitted too much to influence such elections, with very questionable benefit to those who are the electing body, and, in saying this, reference is not made solely to Greymouth. The practice is prevalent in other communities, where easy-going, good-natured indifference as to municipal matters prevails, or where one wa>*d opposes what another ward approves, or where personal acquaintance is superior to a proper appreciation of accuracy in municipal book-keeping. Previously the practice in Greyraouth has been to make the selection on merit in the narticular qualifications requisit-. for the office, and with satisfactory results, and it is to be hoped that on the present or any other occasion there will be no departure from that plain principle, despite the evil example of some other municipalities, and the danger of such example becoming a fashion, and of the election becoming a farce.