THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1881.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3786, 15 February 1881, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1881.

If any evidence were wanting to prove the utter incapacity of His "Worship the Mayor.for the position he holds, the manner in which the Council meeting was conducted yesterday would afford ! that evidence. The very simplestrules for conducting public business the Mayor seems to be unacquained with, while the standing orders of the Council and the provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act are alike an unknown language to him. It is bad enough to see him making a fool of himself, and the laughing stock of the Council and the Borough, but by his stupidity and ignorance he has probably done an injury to, the whole community. In r the matter of the selection of Councillors to serve on the Harbour Board, the order in Council lays down the mode of procedure so plain that no one can well make a mistake, but our worthy Mayor, with his insufferable obstinacy, prevented either Council or Town Clerk setting him right, In the first place, the Municipal Corporations Act wisely declares that "every question coming before the Council shall be decided by open voting," in order, no doubt, that the representatives of the people shall be compelled to transact the business in an open and straightforward manner, in the sight and hearing of the burgesses. The Mayor, however, suggested yesterday to the Council that the voting on this occasion should be by ballot, being probably ashamed to let it be known how he intended to vote, or influenced by those characteristics which made famous Sir John Ealstaff. "We give the following extracts from the order made by the Governor in Council for the election of members of Harbour Boards, from which it will be seen that a grave error was committed yesterday, rising the question whether the election of Messrs Marshall and McGowan is legal, or the gentlemen qualified to sit at the Harbour Board: — 1. Whenever it is necessary to elect a member of a Harbour Board constituted under "The Harbours Act, 1878," by a local governing body, or by any other body or association having power to do so, such election shall be held at a meeting of the local governing body, or other body or association (hereinafter called the " electing body "), of which notice shall have been given, in the same manner, as notices of the meeting of Buch electing body are usually given, and in such notice the; object of the meeting" shall be stated,. ...,;. ■. ■, .. ■/■■■■ ;.■._ .■ . For the purposes of these regulations the expression " local governing body" shall have the like meaning as assigned to such expression in " The Harbours Act, 1878." 2. On the day fixed by law to hold the election, and at the meeting of the electing body, the names of the candidates being stated by the Chairman, each candidate shall be proposed by one member and seconded by another member of the electing body on the day fixed by law tp hold the election.* The Chairman at any such meeting of the electing body may be any person who wouid be entitled or might be appo'.niad to ace as Chairman at the ordinary meetings of ouch body. f 3. After the candidates for election hare bean proposed and seconded, the Chau-iaan of

the meeting shall call for rotes hy a show of hands for each candidate in order of proposal. 4. The candidates getting the largest number of votes shall be elected. 5. In the case of thei-e being an equality of votes the Chairman of the meeting shall have a casting vote. Such Chairman shall have a casting rote, but not a deliberative one. So plain are the regulations that no one with a grain of sense could make a mistake, yefc the Chairman with that j pig-headedness and obstinacy so peculiar to him, and which usually accompanies gross ignorance, suggested and carried out the business directly contrary to the said regulations, not only in the mode of voting himself, other than exercising his casting vote. We cannot but doubt the legality of the election, but at least the want of [ knowledge displayed by the Chairman [ is discreditable, and a disgrace to the j Council. As if the matter of the election for members of the Harbour Board were not a sufficient display of incapacity for one day, the Mayor must proceed to give the Council other examples of his qualities, and so much did he disgust and annoy one Councillor that he immediately took his hat and walked out, while others with more command of temper contented themselves with laughing at the contemptible picture presented by the Chairman. The second instance occurred when the ordinary business of the Council was proposed to be gone on with, business that should have been transacted at the meeting called for last Thursday nighfc, but which, owing to the absence of a quorum, had to be adjourned. The standing orders provide that the first business at all meetings of the Council shall be the reading of the minutes of the preceding meeting. Cr Osborne properly called the Mayor's attention to the fact, but with no other effect than a reply from that worthy that he would not have the minutes read, as a j motion had been carried to proceed with certain other business. This breach of the standing orders was followed by another in refusing Cr Osborne the right to call for a division, or to have his protest entered upon the minutes. Is it to be wondered at that Councillors in disgust should leave the table when the Chairman persisted in following his own sweet will in contravention of Acts of Parliament and standing orders. We will have more to say upon the legal aspect of the questions raised by the proceedings of yesterday's meeting of the Borough Council.