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Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 284, 23 April 1913, Page 6

LAST NIGHT'S MEETING, That the burgesses of New Plymouth aVe capable of shaking off their customary lethargy in matters municipal was evidenced last evening at the meeting called by His Worship the Mayor. There was not only a very good attendance, but a very healthy interest was manifested in regard to municipal matters. We hope that interest will not be allowed to slacken. On the other hand, we want it to quicken and deepen. As a matter of fact, we cannot, as a town, afford to go on as we>. have been doing, aimlessly to some extent, and apathetically to a greater extent. We must be up and doing, and seize Ijhe opportunities within our grasp with the one hand, and "tie a knot in their with the other," to borrow an American expression. Otherwise we are not >going to make any appreciable progress. The town has lately committed itself to some big schemes, the success of which must, to a large extent, depend upon the manner in which tliey are handled in their initiatory stages. Judging by what passed at the meeting, there is a likelihood of some of our representative and successful citizens offering to serve as councillors. They will be wanted. With a Council selected from the names mentioned, the town's interest will not suffer, however ineflicient the occupant of the Mayoral chair may happen to be. Our system of electing Mayors is all wrong. A candidate for the Mayoraltymay arise and pledge himself to a policy with which the Council may not have the slightest sympathy, with the result that the Mayor and his policy are not accorded a hearing. It would be far better to take a leaf out of the book of the Australian States and let the Council appoint its own Mayor. The judgment of the collective councillors ■ could always be relied upon, and there would then he little chance of the mayor and councillors being out of harmony on vital points of policy. Of course, we are speaking quite impersonally, without wishing to cast any reflection on the present Mayor. We are glad to notice that the meeting passed a vote of thanks to the members of the late Council for the services they had rendered during the past year. They have thoroughly earned the compliment. The past year has been a most strenuous one, and has called for the sacrifice of a great deal of valuable time on the part of the Mayor and councillors, and the town should be, and we believe is, grateful to them. The calling of the meeting was a capital idea on the part of the Mayor, and, as one speaker said, w'ill have the effect of creating an interest in the forthcoming elections that nothing else would have done. We hope that interest will be sustained even after the elections.