LABOUR AND MAYORAL ELECTIONS.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14338, 25 April 1912, Page 6

LABOUR AND MAYORAL ELECTIONS.

There is one obvious lesson to be drawn from the Mayoral elections in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. It is that while the public aro not adverse to a moderate Labour representative occupying a. Mayoral chair, they object very strongly to tho wild and rabid section of Labour behig entrusted with the responsibilities of civic administration. The Auckland election was a straight-out fight between the sitting Mayor and tho Federation of Labour, who had put up a local lawyer as their representative, and tho latter was beaten by nearly threo votes to one. Strike or no strike, threo out of every four voters in Auckland wero prepared to tako all tho consequences of voting out tho Federation's candidate. It was the most decisive victory that has been won for a. long time, and it has put the Federation of Labour in Auckland in its place for some time to come. In Wellington, on the other hnnd, a genuine Labour candidate —no ono but the fanatical Labourites will deny Mr David McLaren's claim to that title—beat threo other candidates, his nearest opponent being 1000 votes behind him, while the senior Councillor and present Acting-Mayor (was third on the list, having polled barely one vote to every two recorded for Mr McLaren. The Wellington election may be regarded, no doubt, as being affected by the recent tramway strike and the City Council's unfortunate method of dealing with it. We did not enre for Mr McLaren's attitude in that affair and do not believe in many of bis political views, but his victory is at least proof that he commands the approval of a largo number of the citizens, and the comparative mildness of his opinions emphasises all the more strongly the crushing defeat of the Federation's candidate in - Auckland. Mr Holland, too, no doubt, was largely .supported by Labour, but ho again is a comparatively mild Labourite, and his Views on tho licensing question no doubt had ns much to do with his election as his leanings towards Labour.