THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 1915 COUNCIL NOMINATIONS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 161, 22 April 1915, Page 4

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 1915 COUNCIL NOMINATIONS.

The Borough Council nominations closed entirely .satisfactorily to the most exacting elector; the list of fourteen contains the names of men that in various combinations would form half-a-doz-en tolerably good Councils, hut this is as it should be, and no one will appreciate the new and ivnmistakeable vitality in our municipal life move than those who have tin 1 business sens* 1 necessary to a full realisation of the value of the Borough's assets and the importance of the work thai confronts the new councillors, whoever they may turn out to bo. The large number of nominations will come as an agreeable surprise, for on the previous day it seemed questionable whether the candidates would bo equal, to thnumber of seats. But the length of the list shculd cause us to bo neither pkjue, parochialism, or oven personal friendship should stand between us and or.r duty to select the verv best board of management oi" the number offeing. While we ere consider!nsr our choice of the seven, the thought shonk! ever be in our minds, "Am I selecting the gove-' that i could have whok-hcarvd

confidence in to make my comparatively little business a success?" If one doubtful is included, let us'without compunction instantly dismiss him. Burgesses have now the opportunity to secure a Council, an executive, or board of business management, call it what we will, that is capable of handling to the best possible advantage the almost oppressive condition borough affairs have been forced into. Ratese are, to say the least, inordinately high, and the workiiigman's rent is necessarily in sympathy with the high rates. There is only one way to reduce our rates and that is by electing seven men to the Council who have the financial and commercial knowledge and experience that will enable the most successful handling of Borough finance and the most economical and effective conduct of our public works. We believe the right men could secure both to the advantage of the whole community, for everyone will realise that nothing tends more to keep working people from taking a position in a town where the rates are excessively high, and it is this population wr want. .Let'those who are already here be assured that the only road to any reduction lies through the appointment of an efficient board of management; let them dismiss from their minds the idea that if they vote for Jack Jones they Avill get a footpath, or a load of gravel at their front doors, for conditions are altogether too serious and extreme for that, to obtain. At this stage we do" not pro-tend.to'-say how the present oppressive tension may be eased, but; it is probable the seven cleverest, men nominated for the Council I might ■'■•■■< by consolidation of loans, by effecting improvements that would not add to present burdens; clo much towards securing abetter state of public affairs; but these are merely passing thoughts—suggestions that men better Versed in finance may find some course open by which our civic life may be rendered more tolerable. From time to time we have the fact of the inadequacy of the Borough's water, drainage, and electric light systems brought forcibly under our notice; only last evening the town was in semi - darkness, and, we understand, all places of amusement had to be closed because the water at the headworks was altogether insufficient to generate the needed electricity. AVe thiiikthat commonsense will prevail at the coming elections and that the electors will realise the importance to themselves and to the town of the votes thev have to cast; that they will allow neither friendship, sentiment, or anything else to prevent them from the seven most capable business-men to conduct the Borough affairs through the coming troublous time that will have to be faced.