THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1878.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2979, 2 September 1878, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1878.

To-mobbow nominations will be received of candidates for seats in the Borough Council, the- whole of the members of which body retire or go out of office, in accordance with a provision of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1876, to the effect that at the first rnnual election of Coun« cillors after division of a Borough into wards all the Councillors shall retire, and the burgesses of each ward shall elect three Councillors. Although there has not been much interest openly manifested in the coming election, we hear a great deal about " new blood," and the only candidates who have announced themselves are of the new blood. It is not likely that the choice of any ward will be decided without a contest, and it is also quite on the cards that there will be candidates enough brought out to make the contests exciting. Some of the old members of Council do not, we hear, intend to offer themselves for reelection. There are others, however, who have done good service since the Borough was formed, and. we should be sorry to see them retire even to make room for the best bloods amongst the young men. We confess to a feeling of conservatism in municipal government. It is a necessary element in such institutions. In the Mother Country Common Councillors, after an apprenticeship, become Aldermen, elected sometimes for life, in some places for a term of years;' and so watchful are Courts of Aldermen of their privileges and dignities that the Court of Aldermen of the City of London possess the power of rejecting even the elect of the people, a right that was twice exercised lately in regard to Sir John Bennett, elected for the Ward of Cheap. While, therefore, we should not oppose the accession to seats at the Council Board of some new blood,,we are none the less anxiqus to see some old Councillors returned, even if it should require pressure to be brought to bear upon them to again offer themselves. Gentlemen who have served an apprenticeship to the Council since it was formed, and are conversant with the working, the Acts and by-laws, will be a necessity unless our municipal institutions are to be regulated entirely by officials. There is another matter which burgesses ought to insist upon, namely, that candidates should publicly-announce their opinions on sach matters as are likely to be considered in the coming municipal year. Let us have a little light thrown ion the views of candidates regarding the system of tendering for works and supplies ; the admim'stm? tion of the domestic water supply; how it may be extended and furnished to residents at a cheaper rate; the question of footpaths and kindred matters, provision for which has been made in by-laws which are not always impartially carried out. We bear too that a number of candidates are to be brought out by a clique 1 whose head centre is thte Town Clerk, and whose, object is to render opposition to the Comty. One item of

their programme is said to be to pay the present Mayor the expenses incurred by him in his trip to Wellington, a trip undertaken against the wish of the Council. Burgesses require to be cautioned against beiug hoqdwinked into supporting any such a combination as is here indicated. If candidates are going in on their merits to faithfully represent tueburgesses, there will be no need for hole and corner meetings, or, consultations with officials and representatives of " orders ; " and. we venture to say that the candidates who are most candid with the burgesses will stand the best show on election day, when some of those who are now spoken of as likely to figure on the nomination board to-morrow will be relegated to their normal obscurity.