12 Mr. Arthur H. Muir on 



The development of municipal trading also brings into existence 

 a number of employees paid directly by the municipalities, with 

 the temptation to use their vote on personal rather than on public 

 grounds. 



For many years the Belfast Conservative Association has been 

 the most potent factor in our Municipal affairs, and the citizens 

 are deeply indebted to this organisation for its efforts in putting 

 forward good men, and returning so many in the face of the 

 apathy of the great bulk of the citizens. It suffers, however, from 

 the drawback common to all associations representing party politics, 

 namely, that it cannot secure public confidence outside its own 

 party, and this would be equally true if it were a Liberal 

 Association. 



But after all, political or religious opinions are largely irrelevant 

 to efficiency in civic matters, and the danger of making party 

 politics a motive for municipal elections is that every now and 

 again men are bound to be put forward for the mere purpose of 

 opposing the opposite party, without reference to their fitness for 

 civic administration. 



It should be the aim of the ratepayers to return the best men, 

 be they Conservative, Liberal Unionist, or Radical, Protestant or 

 Catholic. 



The rise in the population of Belfast is not now as rapid as it 

 was, and we have a more settled community. Such a condition is 

 more conducive to the development of a high ideal of citizenship. 

 We require to rouse the body of the people from their apathy re- 

 garding the duties and responsibilities of citizenship. An interest 

 in civic affairs must be aroused, and a spirit of civic patriotism 

 created. Our men of means and leisure must recognise that there 

 is a duty which they owe to the community, and that they are 

 called upon to lay their powers on the altar of the common good. 

 It is no use criticising the City Council and howling anathemas 

 at the members of our public Boards. It is ourselves as citizens 

 who are at fault if anything is really wrong. All is in our own 



