"WE THE RATEPAYERS." A Noble Work.

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 152, 30 May 1903, Page 8

"WE THE RATEPAYERS. " A Noble Work.

THE Wellington Ratepayers' Association is a particularly small body of municipal patriots, who gather together now and again to diecuss matters they never affect in, the least degree, and to point out to their fellow-ratepaymg sufferers what might be if the municipal coat was cut according to the measure of the Association's cloth. The gathering together of a very small number of persons for the discussion of matters of vast importance to 20,000 odd people is useful -f the 20,000 odd people can be influenced for good by the very few persons referred to. * * * Even if they cannot be influenced bv the very few persons under discussion, the meetings serve the purpose of bringing buried talents to the surface, and of discussing concerns that might form the basas for an interesting night under the auspices of the "Wellington Small Talk Society (Limited)." The Society is mildly annoyed that His Worship the Mayor of Wellington (Mr. Aitken, M.H.R.) has remarked that the Association did not know their own minds. This is the point where our sympathy is entirely with the Association, for it not only knows the mind of its. own, Association (Limited), but the minds of all the ratepayers whom it believes it represents in Wellington. * * * How extremely popular the Association has made itself is exemplified in the fact that it requested the ratepayers to vote for new blood for the Council as a protest against the action of all the councillors (who have gone back again) m declining to give an account of their stewardship. The few people of Wellington who don't belong to the Association (Limited) in many case® approach in intellectual form the attainment® of the brightest gem in the constellation (Limited), and if they don't know what the old blood councillors have been doing, then they should learn to read and write at night schools to be provided for them by the Association (Limited). * * # Although this body, which leads public opinion, desired their loyal supporters, the population of Wellington, to vote for "new blood," only one corpuscle ticketed by them is now in the municipal circulatory system, and a very good corpuscle, too. We attach no blame to the Ratepayers' Association (Limited) for this, however. The astounding news that the Association (Limited) had been instirumenta! in carrying out half the reforms effected, and that the Mayor and Councillors were sore because the patriots had talked to some purpose, should lead other small cities like this to get fitted with a similar organisation. They don't know what they are missing.