ELECTION OF MAYOR.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 13 August 1913, Page 5

ELECTION OF MAYOR.

THE GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSAL DISCUSSED BY BOROUGH COUNCIL. At the meeting of the Masterton Borough Council last evening, a communication was received from Mr G. R. Sykes, M.P., conveying copies of the Municipal Act Amendment Bill, and asking for an expression of .opinion concerning the election of Mayor. The Mayor stated that he had received a letter from MrT. F. Martin, secretary of the Municipal Associatienj stfttnig that a meeting *>f. the Executive of the Association would be held in Wellington on Tuesday next," when the Municipal Act Amendment Bill and other measures would be discussed.

Cr Ewington stated that he was quite in accord with the proposal that iihe Mayor should be elected from the Council. The Council had framed a remit to the Municipal As* sociation some months back, favouring the proposal. Cr Ewington said he had no complaint to make about Masterton. He pointed out that large County Councils elected their own chairmen, and he could not see why boroughs should not do likewise. At present they had dual control of the railways. O Ewington moved that this Council approves the proposed .amendment-of the Municipal Corporations' Act relative to the election of the Mayor. O Temple-seconded the resolution. He considered that if the Mayor wereelected from ths Council* "tbfcy • would get a.better class of men offering themselves for the Council. At present the Mayor was unable to grasp the affairs of the borough for some years. Cr Candy opposed the resolution. He did not think Councillors were always fitted for the Mayoral chair. He conidered the proposed .amend-, ment of the Act entirely uncalled-for. It was, in his opinion,* undemocratic. Cr O'Leary did Aot think it desirable that the Mayor should be elected. "from the Council. He would oppose the motion. -• Cr Flanagan" asked where the move-, ment for-the election of Mayor from the Council had com© from." He considered that the extension of the .franchise had caused people ■who could not reach the chair by popular vote to seek a. change. He considered the of the Government was undemocratic, and savoured of; Toryism. If the Government was sincere, why did it not apply the principle to itself and.. boring down an. Elective Execu-i tive Bill? Cr Flanagan said if they wished to see the evils of the nominative system, they need only go to America.

Or Kembalj, spoke in support of the. resolution. He thought it desirable that the Mayor should be elected from the Council.

The Mayor stated that when he brought the Council's remit before the Municipal Association, he could not get a seconder. The change proposed had not been a*ked for by the Municipal Association. There were the same objections to nomination as there were to election by the people. In his opinion they did not get better .men by election than they did by nomination. The weight of the argument was, he thought, in favour of retaining the present position. It seemed to him that election by the people was the best way of deciding the matter. Ho did not think that the plea of elected Mayors being unacquainted with municipal business should be taken seriously. This seldom happened. Th 3 Mayor stated that it frequently happened that the weakest man on a; local body was the chairman. He did not think this should be the case.

Or Ewington, in reply, urged that the cost of Mayorel elections should be -considered. This was very high. He contended that the election of Mayor under the present conditions favoured the man with the purse. After further discussion, the motion of Or Ewington was lost, on division, by four votes to three.

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