The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-15
GOVERNMENT IN MANITOBA.
Municipal system That Covers q
Good Deal of Ground.

Review of Reviews
The political unit in Manitoba is not the
county or township, for there are no such
organization. but the municipality. which
covers as rule about much territory as
the average nc, county q the pakotas; Iowa
extent little republic. 1t possesses GER
tain law making powers which are not
elects a council OF six members. the chair
man of which is called the Reeve, in the
case of rural municipalities and the Mayor
in towns and cities The Reeve is elected
such by the people instead of being
chosen by the other members of the Coun-
Gil There are three kinds OF municipalities
rural. town and city. The operations OF
town and city government here are so near
towns and cities that they need not be de-
scribed The council of a rural municipality
passes ordinances called bylaws. which
have the force of law and which provide
for the building and repairing OF roads,
bridges, town halls. etc. regulate dairies.
food inspection and vagrancy, provide for
public health interests, the methods of
building and construction. the destruction
Of noxious. weeds and wild animals. the
hucksters and markets, the support OF
paupers. II there are any, and very few
exhibitions and billiard rooms, but not II
auor sellers. and may even go so far as TO
give subsidies Of money to aid grist mills
will be seen that here il wide range
Of law-makipS power which in the United
iousiy enough, however. tie municipality
does not establish schools or levy taxes for
their support. School districts are formed
under a general provisional act and each
has the power to elect Its own trustees and
levy its own school taxes. The municipality
is bound. however. to give small grant OF
supplemented by another grant from the
provincial treasury. Another odd feature OF
the Manitoba system Is found I'm the fact
that the municipality is not allowed TO
elect a justice OF the peace or constable
to enforce it's own ordinances. These OFF,
re namp1 hv the nr~Vf0rsal
ment, so that while the people OF nlunici-
own affairs by great variety OF local by
laws they must depend on a higher power 10
put them in force. This is where the
paternal system reaches down to every
mans hearth stone. This system Is, how
ever as l have said before, benevolent as
we'll as restrictive for in cases where a
public road or bridge Is likely to cost more
than tho people of municipality think they
can afford to spend on 1t, they so to the
Legislature at Winnipeg and ask for Z
grant to help them out, with pretty good
assurance that they will get what they
undertakes to pay half the cost OF every
bridge over large stream. The municipal
ity makes up its own list Of voters. They
must be twenty-one years or age. must be
owners, tenants or occupants OF land or
farmers sons. They must also be subjects
OF Her Majesty by birth or naturalization.
The clerk OF the council makes out the list.
1t is revised by the council and posted up.
and any one who feels himself wrongfuliy
excluded has a right to appeal to the dis
trict court. In municipal elections women
who are owners or occupants or land have
the same right of suffrage as men, and they
can also vote in school districts for truss