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Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 160, 23 November 1912, Page 4

ABOLISHING THE WARD SYSTEM. The New Plymouth Borough Council is to be congratulated upon its decision to wipe out the ward system. The statement submittal by the Mayor to last night's meeting conclusively showed that with the enlargement of the borough, and the consequent extension of its functions .and activities, the continuance of the present system would he undesirable, if not altogether impracticable. The ward system has nothing to commend it, at any rate in the case of a place situated as Now Plymouth ig at present. On the other hand, it has been the experience of some other towns that the system lends itself to "log-rolling," and to subordinating the necessities of the whole for the interests of a portion of a town. We can recall no town, once ridding itself of the system, ever reverting to it. The cities have discarded the wards, and the results have been quite satisfactory. Anything making for parochialism should be discarded, and we think it can be argued'successfully thpt the ward system is parochial in its operation and in a predominant degree at that. If the Council had decided to retain the system it would have had no easy task in the reapportionment of the borough into'wards. It was not a difficult matter with a compact, small and fairly populated area like the original borough,'but with the inclusion of the new districts, possessing scattered population, big areas, and varying valuations, the Council would hare been faced with a problem difficult to solve. And, as the Mayor in his lucid and comprehensive statement showed, the wards would require to be readjusted with the shifting of population and increase' in valuations. Then, there is the point that with the ward system it is more often than not difficult to persuade an acceptable candidate in a particular ward to offer his services to ratepayers, whereas in the case of an undivided borough there would necessarily be more suitable material to select from. A councillor's position would, in the wider sphere, be less trammelled and more important in the" eyes of ratepayers, who would naturally evince a greater interest in municipal life. Altogether, the change is a highly desirable and progressive one, and for taking the initiative in the matter the Mayor has rendered the town a valuable service, as also have the Council in deciding to give effect to the proposal.