THE HOSPITAL BOARD ELECTION.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXII, Issue 64, 17 March 1910, Page 4

THE HOSPITAL BOARD ELECTION.

The election which was held yesterday to select two members to represent the Borough of Dannevirke On the newly-constituted Hospital and A Charitable Aid Board resulted in the \ return of Messrs Wratt and Bickford. During the early part of the day, comparativeily little interest appeared to be manifested in the event, but towards 3 o'clock there were increased signs of activity and voters were evidently being hustled to the booths in oabs and motor-cars. Altogether some 539 electors out of a possible 1654 exercised their rights, and recorded their votes, so that the poll cannot in any sense be regarded as a representative one, and had Pastor Ities been out after this election as he usually is, there is every reason to suppose that the result would have been different. Two causes have largely contributed to the result, the indifference of Pastor Ries and his friends, and an unusual amount of plumping in favor of Mr Wratt, and this was especially so at the Borough Council booth. The fact that Mr Bickford, who got his votes from both sides, was not at the head of the poll proves that this system must 'have been largely resorted to by Mr Wratt's friends—or at least resorted ■to to a greater extent than it was ' by the friends of the other candidates. •However, it seems to us to make but ,>.r.all difference how the end was achieved, or what causes led up to it, the fact«_remains that shortly after six o'clock, Mr Maignusson, the returning officer,, announced' from the steps of the Public' Library, to a. small but interested crowd, that the votes secured by each candidate . were as follows:

Bickford, G. J. E. ... *344 Hies, H. M 217 Wratt, G. 364 He therefore declared Messrs Wratt and Bickford elected, at -which. announcement there was some applause.. THE ADDRESSES. Pastor Hies, addressing those present, said lie found himself at the bottom of the poll, and he was glad of it. When he had offered himself ias a candidate- he had done so only because he felt it was his duty to do so in view of his long association with the administration of charitable aid. Now that the people had decided they did mot want him, he was not disappointed. The attention lie had given to charitable aid haft been a considerable: drain upon his time, '-but now he felt, absolved from any further responsibility and he thanked the people for it. Mr Wratt, who came upon the scene while Pastor Hies was speaking, in returning thanks, said though he did not notice any ladies 1 present he had no doubt many of them had voted for ■ him.; in fact he recognised that they had done their best to place him at the head of the poll. That showed him that when a man. tried to do his duty for a public institution that the people were ready to recognise it. There was a sense of fair 111 ay about the public, and when they saw that Pastor Hies had come into the contest simply to try to pmt him off the board they had resented it. He personally never wished to provoke a contest where no matter of principle was at stake, and had Pastor Ries come oait earlier, he (Mr Wratt) would have consulted Mr Bickford and withdrawn from the election). As' it was Pastor Pies had brought this defeat upon himself, in trying to crowd him off the board. He again thanked the electors for placing him at the head of the poll. Mr Bickford was not present to thank the electors for returning him, but he does so to-day through our columns.

THE NEW BOARD. The Waipawa. District Hospital and Charitable Aid Board will now consist of the following:—Messrs Jull, Paulson (Waipawa County), Seymour (Waipawa: Borough and Waipukura.u Town Board), O'Neill, Smith, White (Patangata and Waipukurau Counties), Tansey, Rathbone, Dr Riddell (Dannevirke and Weber Counties), Wratt, Bickford (Dannevirke Borough), and Burnett (Woodville Borough and County). It is probable that at the first meeting of the new board Mr Bickford will be nominated for the position of chairman, and that a strong """•> effort will be made to have.the office [■ of the board fixed at Dannevirke.

THE VOTING. The details of the polling at the various booths was as follows: Bickford Ries Wratt Inf. Library 211 129 184 1 Borough Chambers S3 23 114 Abbott's shop 50 65 66 1 At the Library 300 electors recorded their votes, at the Borough Chambers 129, and at Abbott's 110, making a total of 539 out of 1654 on the roll. NAPIER. Messrs Cranby, Baxter, and Large were elected. CHRISTCHURCH. Mesdames Cunnington, Wilson, and Ensom, and Messrs Allison, Tanner, Rev. Close and Gapes were elected. PALMERSTON NORTH. Messrs J. G. Wilson, J. A. Nash, W. Stubbs, R. Essex, Captain Hewitt, G. Kendall, Spiers, C. Voss, L. R. Bryant, Harford, Fowler, Carman, Vincent, Pearce, and Howie. WELLINGTON. J. G. W. Aitken 1669, Rev. Van Stavern 1617, Miss Richmond 1547, R. C. Kirk 1456, J. Smith 1484, Rev. W. A. Evans 1331, J. Robertson 1323, J. Godber 1321, J. J. Devine 1289, D. M'Laren, M.P., 1262, J. Trevor 1227, A. H. Hindmarsh 1137, G. London 1098, J. E. Fitzgerald 1079. There were twenty-three candidates.