BLENHEIM MAYORALTY

Mil A. McCALLUM RETURNED

Great interest was taken in both the election of Mayor and also that for the position of Councillors. All yesterday, but more especially in the afternoon, partisans of the candidates were busy bringing voters to the poll, and much strenuous work was done in this way. Early in the evening a large crowd congregated in Market Square, and anxiously awaited the result, which was not forthcoming until considerably after 8 o'clock, when the Town Clerk (Mr Sinclair), announced that Mr McCallum had been elected by a majority of 140 of the ratepayers —the voting being McCallum 462, Conolly 322. Shortly after that announcement, Mr McCallum mounted the Rotunda in Market Square and thanked his supporters for having returned him at the head of the poll. He promised to do all in his power for the Borough and the ratepayers as a whole. He felt that a great honour had been conferred upon him by his election to the position of Mayor for Jubilee year, and could not find words to express his gratitude to the electors of the Borough, of Blenheim. Mr Conolly, in a brief but happy speech, thanked those who had voted and worked for him, and he felt that, while he had not secured the Mayoral seat, he had put up a good fight for it. He recognised that there was room for vast improvement in the management of the Borough affairs, and trusted tliat that would be effect-ed. He congratulated Mr McCallum on his re-election, and expressed the hope that a new era in the civic politics of Blenheim had been instituted.

Cheers were given for both candidates, and they left for their respective homes.

THE COUNCIL ELECTION

The crowd had diminished considerably "before the result of the Council was made known. The Town Clerk, aljout 9.30 p.m., announced that the following Councilloi's who had -received the major portion of votes had been elected:— W. Girling ... 515 E. H. Penny 455 F. Adams 432 W. Can- 416 R. F. Priddle 394 J. J. White 387 E. Parker 375 • F. Birch 369 F. Dodson 354 The remaining candidates were voted for as follows:— A. Wiffen 317 W, XJKing 291 J. J. Corry 281 J. McKinley 251 :G. Patchett 197 F. Morrison 196 R. Hodson 174 A. Curry 155

It was a good time after the announcement of the poll that Mr Girling addressed the electors. He thanked them for having placed him at the top of the poll, which gave him a majority of 60 votes. He apologised for the lateness of the hour and intimated his intention of doing everything he possibly could in the- interest of the town. In apologising for his late arrival, he said that he had been attending a church meeting, and had no idea that the returns would have been completed so soon. Mr Penny thanked his • supporters for having placed him second on the list,- '-md trusted that at the. end of his term he would have merited the confidence placed in him. Mr Dodson, in returning thanks, said he would do his utmost in the interests of the Borough, and hoped that when the next election came round he would be placed even higher on the poll than he had been that day.

Mr Ho<Json, who was defeated, thanked those who had supported him, and said that had "he been, elected he would have worked hard in the interests of the ratepayers arid the Borough. Mr Birch thanked the burgesses for once more having elected him to the position of a Borough Councillor. Referring to the gasworks Mr Birch said most of his energies had been devoted towards improving the gasworks and the spending of the £2500 loan so wisely sanctioned by the ratepayers. He considered that the works at the present time compared very favourably with any of the same size in New Zealand, and he was quite sure that the gasworks would become in the near future a veritable "milch cow," and ho advised them strongly never to entertain any thoughts, of .disposing of the gasworks. The had been fortunate in securing the services of a man like Mr 'Taylor, who was unquestionably -the right man in the right place, as he had carried the works on to a successful issue. He concluded by thanking the ratepayers for the continued confidence imposed in him.

Mr Parker also-thanked the electors for the confidence they had manifested in him.

Much jpcularity was indulged in ■around the rotunda until a "late hour, speeches being delivered by many local celebrites.

'The total nurriber of elect-cnra on the roll is 1312, of -whom 799 exercised their votes in, vfi&a the Goiinoil election, and 795. for rtflie election of Mayor. Last year's 'voting for? Mayor was: McEJalium 360, [Penny 336.