The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1877.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5140, 13 September 1877, Page 2

The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1877.

The interest of the municipal elections which take place to-day has been a good deal overshadowed through the interest felt in the general politics of the colony brought so near to us by their discussion in Parliament. It is this fact, we will charitably suppose, that has checked any expression of contemporary journalistic opinion, for it is not to be imagined that any doubts as to which candidates would win would prevent any expression of such opinion. As a matter of fact, however, the elections to be decided to-day are perhaps the most important that have as yet taken place in Wellington; That the City Council wants reformation (members, officials, and all) to a very great extent, has become a patent fact, and this reformation it is now in the hands of tho ratepayers to secure. The New Zealand Times has on more than one occasion pointed to the blots that have affected our civic administration. In doing so this journal has endeavored to steer, clear of personal imputations, and to merely place facts before the public, permitting the public to draw conclusions themselves. The notorious nightsoil contract, a job of the worst character; the waterworks contract in which, perhaps by some accident, but none the less misdirection to intending tenderers, a practical injustice was done ; the well-known gravel contract, and a host of other matters, really made ratepayers get an idea into their heads that a kind of miniature Tammany ring governed our municipal administration, and misdirected the expenditure of the public money. Then again quite a number of Councillors have displayed a childishmess in their conduct a); meetings of the Council that showed them to be totally unlit for tho sensible discussion and judgment of the public affairs before them. And the officials of the Council, with one or two exceptions, have been the cause of repeated and most justifiable complaint. His Worship the Mayor, having been in the first place elected because the ratepayers would not elect Mr. Gisborne, managed during his earliest year of office to win golden opinions from all sorts of men ; but this paper pointed out that he shone rather by the absence of light in others than by the possession of any peculiar radiance of his own. Having plenty of leisure time upon his hands, Mr. Hutchison was enabled to do work that should have been properly performed by permanent subordinates, but which a Mayor should not have been called upon to do. Hence arose a gratified surprise at an attention to the wants of ratepayers that had not been known before. • But Mr. Hutchison, during his, second year of office, fell into the natural

mistake of supposing that because he was in the right occasionally; he could never be. occasionally wrong. This {caused him ni‘6re than once to: sacrifice the progress of inecessary civic business v to a mere caprice of his own. ] On the other hand, certain City Councillors' and the City Solicitor, with as fervent a hatred of his .Worship as the devil is popularly supposed to entertain of holy water, were quite as active in obstructing anything which might be' under the sponsorship of the Mayor. Prom these causes the civic confusion of two years ago has become worse confoundednow,and the ratepayers should seize the present opportunity to restore order. And the present is an opportunity that is not likely to occur again. Hitherto only a few Councillors have retired annually, and the ratepayers have merely had the opportunity of endeavoring to leaven the whole mass by the introduction of a trifling element of freshness. But now the chance is given of electing an entirely new Council, and whilst we cannot fairly advocate this, we can heartily advise that the opportunity afforded of getting rid- of the really objectionable members of the Council should be eagerly embraced. The Council should be composed of sensible practical citizens, men taking an interest in, and conversant with public affairs, and competent to conduct their deliberations with dignity and common sense, without unseemly squabbling and disgraceful exhibitions of rancour. It is possible, from the numerous candidates before them, for the ratepayers to select such a Council as has been described. For Cook Ward their choice will, it is almost certain, fall upon Messrs. Greenfield, George, and Hunter. The two former are among the members of the old Council whose services should be retained. The latter was once a member of the old Town Board, but his chief recommendations will be found to lie in the length of time that he has fulfilled the duties of an active citizen amongst us, and in the complete satisfaction he has given as a representative of the city in Parliament. In Te Aro Ward Messrs. Krull, Logan, and Macdonald run on a ticket. Mr. Krull a few years ago so well approved himself as a civic representative that he presents claims to election now which cannot be ignored. Mr. Logan’s energy, activity, and sound shrewd sense are well known. He would make an excellent representative. The only damages to Mr. Macdonald’s chances are likely to come from a prevailing impression that he is too remarkably clever, and that on occasions he might not be above grinding some little special tomahawk of his own at the expense of the public axe. In Lambton Ward Mr. Mills is really the only candidate that properly fulfils the conditions we noticed as requisite in a City Councillor. Mr. Allan came into the Council to accomplish great things ; his career has merely exhibited him in the capacity of a well-intentioned but most useless Councillor. Mr. Moss has unfortunate infirmities of head and temper, but may perhaps be re-elected in spite of them. Mr. Danes, a new man, would make a better Councillor than either Mr, Allan or Mr. Moss. Thorndon Ward has been reserved for the scene of a pretty bitter contest. Messrs. Gillon, Allen, and Maginity run - upon a ticket. A Mr. Fisher runs on no small personal spite; Messrs. Cleland and Rainie seek reelection together; and Mr. J ohns has not brought .forward any particular claims to the votes of the burgesses. Of the old representatives, it is essential that Mr. Cleland should be kept out. Narrowminded and obnoxious as a public man, his Council experience has had a mischievous effect on public affairs. Mr. Fisher is a “ Hansard” reporter, and has been connected with local journalism, in which he distinguished himself by writing at least one vile libel, for which his employers had to apologise and pay costs. He had some dispute in the past with Mr. Turnbull, the architect of the town hall, in connection with business transactions between himself and Mr. Turnbull, and he is now most righteously opposed to the acceptance of Mr. Turnbull’s plans for the town hall. A few days agohe accused Messrs. Gillon, Allen, and Maginity of being brought forward' in the interests of a contracting clique ; a couple of nights later he made a whining recantation of his accusations; and we are informed that he has since privately reiterated them. Were there any chance of his election it might be worth while pointing out that as a “Hansard” reporter he cannot possibly attend the sittings of the City Council for more than eight months of the year, and that he must be absent from them for the next six weeks. The fact is that Mr. Fisher is one of those gentlemen who contrive to raise a crop of people whom they fancy have done them all sorts of injuries. He has come forward now to pay out these fancied grievances. His professional career on “Hansard” as a mechanical shorthand writer has given, we believe, every satisfaction ; it would be a pity to cut it short. Mr. Gillon has been, in enforced retirement of late, and' got such a tremendous defeat when last he stood for the City Council that we are loath to damp his hopes now. But the fact is that, with all his unquestioned cleverness, his public character resembles Mr. Richard Swivbller’s private one—“he is not to be trusted.” On the whole, perhaps, the ratepayers of Thorndon might do worse than re-elect Messrs. ALLEN'and Rainie, and join with them Mr. Maginity, who may make a good Councillor, a negative advantage not possessed by any of the other candidates.