7. MUNICIPAL AND LOCAL GOV ERNMENT. Introductory and General.— The organization of municipal government in Australia is modeled largely on the English sys tem and is composed of mayors, aldermen and councillors in the chief cities and large towns, with district or shire councils, local or divisional boards (the nomenclature varies in the different states) presided over by elected chairmen or presidents in the small towns or villages, and outlying districts where settlement is sparse. All of these are creations of statute deriving their authority, power and duties from the Par liaments of the various states. No salaries are paid to the mayors who in the capital and most of the larger towns are voted an annual allow ance by the councils for entertaining and keep ing up the traditional dignities of the office. In Melbourne the vote is f1,500, in Sydney and Adelaide f1,000. The mayor has no direct power of veto over the council's actions. He represents the city as a whole and presides over the council and undertakes only those duties which devolve naturally on the leading officer of a city. The paid officials are non partisan appointed by the councils and form a permanent staff holding their positions during good behavior; the head of which (as in Eng land) in the cities is the town clerk. The terms municipal and local government are inter changeable as applying to (a) the cities and the larger towns of the Commonwealth, of which the capitals are types, and (b) to the smaller towns and outlying districts which are simply microcosms like unto the larger bodies but with functions of a more prosaic and limited character conditioned mostly by population. In fact it may be taken as axiomatic that when the government of the cities is understood everything of importance to the student is known about municipal and local government in the Commonwealth of the newest of the nations.
Nominations for municipal offices usually require the signatures of proposer, seconder and candidate. In Melbourne 10 ratepayers' signatures are required together with a de posit of f10. Secret voting, or voting by bal lot as it is styled, is the universal system, which had its origin many years ago in Australia and has since found world-wide acceptance.
Generally speaking adult owners and occu piers of real estate assessed for taxation who have paid their rates, whether residents or non residents, are entitled to vote in the cities of Australia. Aliens are barred in some cities and women are not yet universally welcomed to the council chambers although they may vote.
The councils of the capital cities are single chambers, aldermen and councillors sitting to gether, presided over by the mayor. Except in the Federal government, and in the state Par liaments where it is universal, the bicameral system of government as it exists in some American cities is unknown in Australia.
The Origin of Local The beginning of municipal government in Aus tralia dates back to 1839 when the first munic ipal law (based on the English statute of 1835) was passed in the state of South Aus tralia and put into operation in 1840 in the city of Adelaide whose virgin soil was surveyed in 1836. The parent city of Sydney, the capi tal of New South Wales, established in 1788, was incorporated in 1842. Melbourne, the chief city of the state of Victoria, originated as a small settlement in 1835 and was incorporated in 1842 by the legislature of New South Wales of which state it then formed an integral por tion. The other capital cities are: Brisbane (Queensland), founded 1826, incorporated 1859;. Perth (West Australia), founded 1829, incorporated 1871; Hobart (Tasmania), founded 1804, incorporated 1857.
Local Government in New South Wales.
— The city council of Sydney is composed of 24 aldermen, one of whom is elected by the council annually to he lord mayor. Two alder men for each of the 12 wards are elected by ballot by the ratepayers every two years. Plural voting obtains, based on assessment values up to four votes. Owners, leaseholders, occupiers and lodgers are entitled to vote. Accounts are audited by state government inspectors. As sessments arc based on rental values of im proved property.