LABOUR DEBACLE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 184, 19 May 1941, Page 3

LABOUR DEBACLE

LOSSES IN THE FOUR CITIES. THE POLLING AT CHRISTCHURCH (P. A.) CHRISTCHURCH, May IS. Labour was overwhelmingly defeated at the municipal elections in Christchurch yesterday. It lost the mayoralty and control of the City Council, suffered a heavy reduction in its representation on the Christchurch Tramway Board, lost three of its four city seats for the Lyttelton Harbour Board, and won only three of ten city seats for the North. Canterbury Hospital Board, on which previously its representation was six.

In a small poll, Mr E. H. Andrews, Citizens’ Association mayoral candidate, had a comfortable lead of- 1192 votes from the Labour candidate, Mr E, Parlane, Mr J. K. Moloney (Independent) who headed what he called the “win-the-war group,” secured 4672 votes. Mr C. T. Rodda (’lndependent) lost his deposit. The extent of the Labour loss is best measured in the City Council, where Labour has four seats, out of 16, whereas in the last Council it bad 10. The deciding votes a*t meetings of the Tramway Board may now rest with two Independent members, Messrs IV. J. Walter and A. A. MeLachlan, as in yesterday’s election the six city seats are divided equally among Labour and Citizens’ Association. Another Labour member, Sergeant j. S. Barr, is serving overseas. In the previous board seven of the nine members were Labour supporters. Mr H. E. Denton (Labour) and Corporal R. M. Macfarlane, the retiring Mayor, and deputychairman, lost their seats. This was the only seat Corporal Macfarlane contested. Mrs Macfarlane stood unsuccessfully for both the Hospital Board and City Council. The Mayoral election resulted: E. H. Andrews (C.A.) 13,563 E. Parlane (Lab.) ... 12,371 J. K. Moloney (lnd.) 4,672 C. T. Rodda (lnd.) ... 240 The successful .candidates for the Council were : T. Milliken (C.A.) ... 17,904 J. S. Barnett (Lab.) . 16,420 1 M. E. Lyons (C.A.) .., 16,376 J. N. Clarke (C.A.) 16,012 F. S. Wilding (C.A.) .. 15,676 G. Manning (Lab|) .... 14,968 R. G. Brown (C.A.) ... 14,401 M. Kershaw (C.A.) ... 14,322 J- J. Hurley (C.A.) ... 14,279 H. E. Denton (Lab.) . 14,204 Miss M. McLean (C.A.) 13,942 S. H. Maddren (C.A.) 13,785 Mrs T. Green (Lab..) ... 13,704 C. D. Sheppard (C.A.) 13,612 H. P. Donald (C.A.) ... 13,588 W. P. Glue (C.A.) ... 13,372

DUNEDIN REJECTS DR. McMILLAN

(P.A.) DUNEJDIN, May 18. Labour lost one' representative on each of the city local bodies. The citizens’ candidate, Mr A. H. Allen, retained the Mayoralty, defeating I)r. McMillan, M.P. The voting was: Allen 13,685, McMillan 12,524. On the City Council, the Citizens Association, which did not oppose Lieutenant-Commander IP. G. Connelly now on active service, obtained nine of the 12 seats. The Citizens’ Association also has a majority of six to one on the Hospital Board. Among the defeated candidates was Dr. McMillan. Mrs McMillan, sitting member, lost her seat. WELLINGTON’S CHOICE. (P \ ) WELLINGTON, May 18. For the Mayoralty, the Wellington Citizens’ candidate and the sitting Mayor, Mr T. C. A. Hislop, was returned by a maiority of nearly 9UC» votes over the Deputy-Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Labour candidate, Air R. McKeen, M.P. This was the biggest majority oi Mr Hislop’s 10 years in office, already a record in length for the capital City before his re-election for a further three years. The voting was: T, C. A. Hislop 19,851, R, McKeen 10,926 In one of the biggest landslides in

the history of municipal politics in Wellington, the Citizen’s ticket captured all 15 seats on the City Council and unseated all six sitting Labour councillors.. The new members of the Council, all from the Citizens’ ticket, are Mss Knox Gilmer, and Messrs B. J. Todd, R. H. Nimmo. F. W. Furkert, O. M. Bowden, W. H. Stevens and J. D. Sievright. The defeated counciMors, all Labour, were Messrs R. McKecn, M.P. (who w'as Labour’s Mayoral candidate), O; H. Chapman, M.P., .T. Brindle, 'M.L.C., P. M. Butler, A. Black and Mrs R. Semple, wife of the Minister of National Service. Messrs McKeen, Chapman and Brindle had served long terms on the Council. The 13 Citizens’ candidates for election to tho Wellington Hospital Board were all" successful. Labour failed to retain a seat.

Citizens’ candidates were successful in gaining the four town seats on the Wellington Harbour Board. Citizens and Labour formerly held two seats each.

Mr J. W. Andrews, tho Citizens’ nominee, was re-elected Mayor of the city of Lower Hutt. Labour lost the three seats it formerly held on the Council. THE AUCKLAND DECISION. (P.A.) AUCKLAND, May 18. An outstanding contest for the Auckland City Mayoralty resulted in the election of Air J. A. C. Alluni (Citizens’ candidate and retiring Deputy-Mayor) who with a vote of 16,244 had a majority of 1322 over Air J. Sayegh (Labour), his most serious rival. 1

The outstanding features of the election of members of- the City Council was the almost complete defeat of the ticket put forward by the official Labour Party. In ail there were 48, candidates for 21 seats, and of those 21 were put forward by the Citizens and Ratepayers and a similar number by the Labour Party. Air R. Armstrong, a former Labour member of tlie Council, stood as an Independent Labour candidate, and there were three other Independents and two Communists. The Citizens’ Association secured a return of 20 of its candidates, and the Labour Party succeeded in winning only one scat. The retiring chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board, Air A. J. Moody, retained his seat oil the Board from the Labour candidate by 131 votes on a provisional count. The Board now comprises three Citizens’ representatives and two Labour members, reversing tlie position that obtained before the election.

MR DASH DEFEATED AT WAIMATE

TIMARU. This Day

The surprise in South Canterbury was the defeat of Mr George Dash in the Mayoral poll at Waimate by Mr F. Boland, by the substantial margin of 695 rotes to 455. The new Mayor has served a term on the "Waimate Borough Council, but did not offer himself for re-election at the 1938 poll. This is the first occasion on which Mr Boland has contested the mayoralty.

TiMARU BOROUGH COUNCIL.

TIMARU, This Day. The main features of the Borough Council election in Timam was the heading of the poll bv a new candidate. Mr A. F.. S. Hnnan, and the defeat of a sitting councillor in Mr H. .T. Mathers. Mr J. M. Jenkins is another new candidate to take a seat on the Council. Other sitting members were all returned. The new Council is constituted as follow: Mr W. G. Tweedy (Mayor, unop*

posed), Messrs A. E. S.Hanan, M. H. Richards, A. S. Kinsman, J. R. Hart, J. S. Satterthwaite, J. M. Jc-nkine, P. B. Foote, W. H, Hall, F. B. Hawkev.