The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE THURSDAY, MAY 1. THE BOROUGH ELECTIONS.

Taihape Daily Times, 1 May 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

THURSDAY, MAY 1. THE BOROUGH ELECTIONS.

(With which is Incorporated The Tai> hape Pert and Walcmrl-ao News).

Once more the biennial duty of electing a Mayor and Borough Council has been performed, and it will generally be admitted that it has been performed well, despite any difference of opinion there may about the selection made. The number of votes polled is a record, which very strongly reflects the fact i that ratepayers and residents have | been fully cognisant of the immensely I Important issues, that are at static, I and will be at stake during the townbuilding, the community construction of the next decade to come. The first residents of any locality are indeed its architects; the history of Taihape is, and will be, a narrative of the influence of the town on its people, and of its people on the town; nothing more than a march of its, people's ideas, business capacity, and a publicspiritedness that sets community interests first and self somewhere afterwards, Community interests are. paramount, and they have almost invariably proved the surest and shortest road to success of the public men who stand out boldly for them. Whatever the promptings, selfish or otherwise, the interest and enthusiasm characterised by determined work and action j yesterday in getting electors to the . polling booth, it augured distinctly well for a progressive civic future. To the thoughtful burgess, who i s not j swayed by puny self-pride or self-in- j forest, the enthusiasm of yesterday I was a gleefiy, happy omen of the ! future good government of the town. The competition yesterday will impress. upon the numbs of the men elected that they have entered upon no j sinecure; that their actions and atten- j tion to public business are being I closely observed by, at least, as many ! defeated candidates as there were sue- | cessful candidates; they will be ever 1 mindful that if they shirk their duty I there arc other enthusiastic men ready | to take their places, in fact, nothing I spurs any public body, not oven Par- I liameut, on to its best efforts more j than some form of opposition. A j position on any governing body is | valued more if it has been gained by I strenuous election campaigning, than j if it falls like over ripe fruit iji to their possession. It is conducive to thought before action, to a study of surroundmg circumstances and environment, Until a stage is reached when the mind comes in full view of the immense issues, the- prodigious and mexhaust- j ible wealth of the district that sur- | ouuds the centre whose building he j ms been elected to carry on with all I Tt°i T'** ls humanly capable of ! II S ' Gn h ° only c °nnnenccs to realise 1m groa ness of the pubUe work he and he * b ° C ° mC for, to leave & UlfiCd 013 by Such i ' a name for himself that will n°fbe least among those of the town's architects when the narrative of , regress and development is writte-, U s a worl If l hMe Who Wi " a "y m th« woik Of borough councillors in the taraway future! The civic franchise is notably democratic, but there appears to be nothing more than a negligible misuse of that which i 8 no

longer a privilege in New Zealand, but the right of every adult man and woman. For the first time in Taihape’s history a Labour Party exorcised their right, of the franchise to the extent of nominating labour men who would, if elected, have controlled the policy jof the Council. The Labour Party { have thereby rendered a great pubiit; service to the town and to every resident in it; they forced upon ratepayers generally the fact that there must be no more seats at the Council table going begging; they virtually intimated by strong'action that if ratepayers were too indifferent, too lazy, .or 1 too-much pre-occupicd with their personal interests to the exclusion of community interests, they would take care that the public business should not be allowed to drift. Ratepayers have evidently profited by the lesson the Labour Party set them, for they polled in unprecedented numbers to | keep the money the}- contribute to the . rate fund from being controlled and j spent by a largely ucn-paying rate j Council. Wo have occas-ion to conj gratulato the Labour Party on the I good service they have rendered the community in which they live, and we are convinced that nothng will operate more towards municipal efficiency than 'a continuance of such determination to prevent borough affairs being characterised by indifference and drift for want of some useful, tangible opposition. The Council elected is a really good one; it bears evidence of careful, judicious and intelligent selection when votes were being recorded. Messrs. Reid, Cunninghame, and Turnbull arc old councillors who have earned and enjoyed the confidence of all classes, while the four now seats arc being filled by well-known, welltried, experienced businessmen, not one of whom can be expected to prove a failure in the responsibilities their follow townsmen have placed upon them. In the Council itself there is a preponderance of new blood, but the Mayoral chair being filled by an old councillor makes the voting power equal, the old regime having the advantage of final decision, if ever such

decision becomes necessary, a remote possibility. The announcement of the result of the Mayoral contest obviously created surprise; after the figures were read out there were a few moments of breathless silence which Mr W. McLennan ended by calling for three cheers for the successful candidate. We were of opinion j that Mr. Wrightson would have been , selected as Mr. A, L, Arrowsmith's. j successor. As a councillor for the past five years ho has conscientiously performed the duties to the public he took upon himself when elected; he possessed a practical knowledge that was of great service to the Council, ami there will be general and widespread regret that such services are no longer available. The electors have, however, made their choice with delibeiation, and there seems no reason whatever for doubt -bat Mr. Joblin will not fill the Mayoral chair capably, diligently, persistently pursuing a. progressive policy that will prove honourable to him and bring about an extension of the business of the town, and that rapid increase of population that is already awaiting it. The pro- j vision made by Mr Menzies, the Town Clerk, for taking what proved an easy record in Taihapo Municipal polling was ample and excellent, and was the subject during the polling day of much complimentary comment.