March 21, The Consular Body has declared this week's Munteipal Election in~ valid and given instructions for the Shanahai Municipal Council to hold. another Election which will take place on April 20 and 21. This decision will be generally approved. fas the only way of meeting the criticisms aroused by the unfortunate accident which produced incomplete returns on Tuesday even~ ing and necessitated the issue of amended returns the next day, when 323 uncounted votes had been discovered, Much regret will be felt that this additional strain should be put upon the Ratepayers especially as, in achieving a poll of 80 per cent. of the electoral roll, they had obviously shown intense interest in the Election and had vindicated their sense of civic responsibility. Neither the _can= didates nor electors enn be blamed for what haz happened, natural that feelings of annoyance should be uppermost at the moment. 'Yet Shanghai's commonsense will applaud the Consuls' decision and refute to be piqued into withholding ce-operation in the measures taken for regularizing the basis of the Council for the coming year. There is, apparently, a possibility that having gained their very prop~ erly made demand for a new election, the Japanese may avert the need for a second election by withdrawing one of their candidates. If this generous gesture be made it, will certainly redound to the credit of its authors and enhance their reputation for statesmanship. Tt would also show an alert considera~ tion for the convenience of their fellow-citizens in the Settlement Tu the event, however, of the election having to be held, the Council will, no doubt, take special precautions to ensure that all legal and technical formalities are fulfilled in arrangement of this second election. An important provision will be to arrange for a representative supervision of the polling and counting of votes, so that international—requirements may be met. It may be well handling of that meeting raised
is hoped, due attention has been given. Certain suggestions were made for providing against the exigencies of criticism developed during the course of-the meeting and for preparing the agenda in an order which took due note of the probable time likely to be spent on the various items. When individual ratepayers rise in that meeting and produce statistics and other data, is desirable that the Council's spokesman should be in full posses~ sion of information for reply. Use might be made of the knowledge of the permanent officials in this re~ gard, especially when questions of finance or public works are in issue. 'This point accidentally acquires peculiar significance now for the Annval Meeting will apparently be held on the eve of the Election so that it is all the more necessary that. the Ratepayers' thirst for informa tion should be slaked and the correction of inaccurate statements, promptly and effectively made.
'The Council will, it is hoped, take carly opportunity to dispose of the unfortunate impression created bby the statement issued in regard. to the uncounted votes. Public' opinion on thet matter Is strongly, roused, No-one brings any charge against official good faith, but there is considerable disappointment over the apparent attempt to throw the blame on the shoulders of the voluntary scrutineers. Even if the scrutineers, in a spirit of food-natured magnanimity, are prepared to accept the blame, the Council's statement cannot be re~ garded as final, It disdains to give any' connected account of the process of counting the votes. There are grounds for asserting that in certain respects the normal pre~ cautions for unlocking the two boxes in which the voting papers were contained were varied. The error also suggests that by some! oversight there was no reconc: le~ ment of the number of voting Papers issued with those received from the' ballot boxes. On those points the public has a right to ask for explicit information. No doubt, the Council has ordered a report to be submitted to it, for presumably some such report had to be made to the Consular Body. This journal in no way wishes to suggest that the public—or press—should Intervene between the Council and its oMcials, but it is the duty of a friendly commentator to bring to the Council's notice the strength of public feeling on the cause of. this electoral crisis, It is not enough to say that a mechanical defect occur red. The administration's reputation for eficiency is ut stake. "Only by the fullest and frankest disclosure of the relevant facts, which must be simple enough, can the Council, discharge its duly to the Ratepayers. Such disclosure has not yet been made. The omission should be remedied.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.