The Daily News TUESDAY, APRIL 28. THE MAYORAL ELECTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 108, 28 April 1908, Page 2

The Daily News TUESDAY, APRIL 28. THE MAYORAL ELECTION.

rnlortumiU'ly for tin*. (Miuliciat«-.s i*»r | Mayoral honors, there is ivo vital <jucs- ! ' lion ol' polity upon which tliev tan lake sitU-s, ami tin 1 ratepayers an- left to make tluir choky according as they as- j Scss tlio personal liliu'> ; of the camliillales for the high ollicc to which they ;isjiiiv. Notwithstanding. however, tm:i there is no outstanding i|ion calculate! In arouse public opinion in the election, an amount ol interest is li.-iir; evinced that is ami e.Oniicnl of a keener interest in municipal atl'aii-s than has characterise!! borough poiiii. lor sonu' time past. In the 1 of that interest we ascribe no small portion of the on'*lit \o Mi'. \V. A. ('olljs. one of the mayoral can-

elieliltes, who, breaking through lnc-ii conventional traelitioii. establishe-el a pnceilcnt in advancing iiis candidature' from Hie puhlie platform. The result has l.ei'ii Hint. Hie oilier candidates have followi-,1 Hie lead, and the- ratepayers have- been given a fuller insight into the eoiuluct anil progress of municipal all'airs than tli.y otherwise would Inne had, and incideiitally, also, have- been iill'orded a special opportunity of ju<lging the respective merits of the camliilates. None of them is a tyro ill public .matter,., and each has had considerable' experience of municipal affairs. Air. Collis is now senior councillor, having served the ratepayers on the Council for „ a long term of years; Mr. Bellringcr, though a much more recent ollice-hold-

er, speedily made bis murk as a progrcs- b; sive, and is at pre,sent chairman oi the C works committee; while Mr. Tisch, ;» though at present not sitting on the ii Council, lias a lew years' service t to his credit. Each, further, iias a been prominently • identified with 1; other of the more important a local institutions, Mr. Tiscli and I Mr. Uellringer notably as chairmen, i past ami present respectively, of the Hospital and Charitable Aid hoard, it j may safely be assumed, therefore, mat i no one of them would, in the position ( of Mayor, bo handicapped through in- 1 experience. I Coining, however, to their views on i municipal matters a* expounded in then £ respective addresses, it seems to us 3 they exhibited a marked disparity in ! their grip of the business of the borough. In the conduct of a business with a turnover approaching C2O.(MH) a \ear, a great deal must of necessity depend on the man at the helm, and close familiarity with the working of each and every department is a necessary | concomitant of successful administraI (ion. Viewed from Uii* standpoint, we p must admit that only one candidate lias a hliouj), in his address at any rate, a 1 true appreciation of the borough's posijfl tion. Last night's address by Mr. liell- | r.ingcr was a clear and concise statc.jjg ment of the burgesses' position as it Islands, and we venture to believe that it afforded ratepayers the clearest c\position of the borough's afl"airs ? alik,a.s regards finance, street works, and tile important public services of the electric light, abattoirs, and water and drainage departments, that they have hitherto had opportunity of gaming other than through the column* of the Press. In this respect, the other candidates overlooked the principal factor of recommendation for the Mayoralty, iheir remarks being over a much confined to incidents of Kj past administrations, and disserta- '% tions on the aesthetic possibilities of p tiie town. With the latter, at the same K time, we entirely agree, as aljio with jg the need for further development in S this respect—a matter on which all gj three candidates are in entire accord, j- As we previously pointed out, however, § there ]'•? no statement: of policy on v'fiieh the ratepayers are asked to give a direction, and their choice resolves itself into one of opinion regarding the personal fitness of the candidates to guide the progressive spirit of the borough.