MANY NEW MEMBERS CHOSEN

A LIGHT POLL GENERALLY

LABOUR MAKES SOME GAINS

Apparently polling was generally light through the Dominion yesterday, certainly it was disappointingly >so in Wellington, city and suburbs. For that the bad weather was largely -' responsible, but it is also a regrettable fact that electors at no time showed the interest they, should have dpne in the'important duty of selecting their representatives upon the various local bodies. The City Council election brought no great surprises,} though the returning of a fourth Labour member was riot expected. That three independent candidates succeeded in gaining places among the first fifteen did not occasion surprise, for all three are well known to electors as a result of their long service on the City Council. The positions of Mr. R. L. Macalister (Civic League and Ratepayers' Association nominee) and Mr. P. M. Butler (Labour) are by no means certain, for there are many declaration votes and doubtful votes to- be considered. If Mr. Butler is returned Labour will have stronger representation on the council than in any previous council. Several new members will take their seals at the Hospital Board table as a result of retirements and the defeat of two old members. Labour has gained ground here also, but the position as between Mrs. S. E. 0. Snow (Labour) and Mr. J. H. Helliwcll (Civic League and Ratepayers) is not yet certain. There are now seven lady members on the board. The If arbour Board election was a distinct surprise in that Labour'polled far more heavily than was generally anticipated. Three out of four city scats were captured, and both combined and suburban district seats also went lo Labour. ' Doubts were expressed by a great many ratepayers over the possibility of success for the two city waterworks loan polls, but both.were.carried by very large majorities. All parties were in this issue agreed that the work should be put in hand. There was no Mayoral election in the city, as Mr. T. C. A. Hislop was returned unopposed. In the Hutt Valley electors were very slack about voting, although with any amount of rivalry between Mayoral candidates there should have been reason for live interest. ' Mr. J. W. Andrews was returned as Mayor of Cower Hutt by a big majority, and the former Mayor, Mr. D. McKenzie, had an easy victory in a triangular contest at Petone. The "Progressive ticket" council candidates at Lower Hutt were strongly successful, missing only one seat, and of the former members of the Petone Borough Council who offered themselves for re-election, only, two failed to secure seats again. Mri W. T. Strand was defeated by a small margin of ninetyodd votes in the contest for two seals on the Gas Lighting Board. In Auckland the former Mayor, Mr. G. W. Hutchison, was returned with a margin oi 400 odd votes over the Labour candidate, Mr. H. G. R. Mason,'M.P. There are now eight Labour councillors out of 21 on the Auckland City Council. The sitting Mayor of Christchurch, Mr. D. G. Sullivan, M.P. (Labour), was returned by a substantial majority. As the proportional representation system is followed in Christchurch the counting of votes for the City Council and other local bodies is a long job, and final figures may not be announced for some time. An independent candidate for the Dunedin Mayoralty, the Rev. E. T. Cox, who stood as a protest against the council's'decision to reduce the rates of pay on relief works, defeated the sitting Mayor, Mr. R. S. Black, by 2000 votes. A feature of this year's elections was the contests in the four Hawke's Bay centres, Napier, Hastings, Wairoa, and Gisborne, where no elections had been held for four years. At Hastings, Napier, and Wairoa the sitting Mayors were heavily defeated, and Gisborne also decided upon a change, though by only a compara--1 tively small majority. ' There was a .surprise in the Manawatu Hospital Board election in the defeat of .Mr. J. A. Nash, M.P., 'after many years of-service on the board. ' ,