MR MACFARLANE CONGRATULATED

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28129, 19 November 1956, Page 10

MR MACFARLANE CONGRATULATED

Callers At Council Offices

BOTH CANDIDATES BROADCAST

“I am there to represent the whole of .the citizens. It will not be my fault if I cannot do in the future what I have done in the past.” said the Mayor (Mr R. M. Macfarlane, M.P.) in a broadcast address after his reelection on Saturday. Mr Macfarlane and the Mayoress listened at their home to the radio reports of the early returns. Then with their daughter and one of her friends they arrived at the council chambers shortly after the final returns for the Mayoralty had been announced publicly. Obviously pleased, the Mayor had to stop to receive congratulations at the council and on his way to a broadcasting station he was stopped three times for handshakes and good wishes. One of the men who met him in Gloucester street was his opponent of 1953 Mr J. L. Hay, who had not heard the result. While at the broadcasting station. Mr Macfarlane left a cup of tea to answer the telephone. The call was from Mrs Sullivan, the widow of a former Mayor of Christchurch, Mr D. G. Sullivan. Mrs Sullivan has always signed Mr Macfarlane's nomination paper, and has always been one of the first to congratulate him. Back in the Mayoral rooms after making the broadcast. Mr Macfarlane had many callers, among the first being his opponent, Mr W. S. Mac Gibbon. who called to congratulate him. He stayed at the council until early yesterday morning, but the news of the other elections was not so pleasing for him. Early in the counting Labour had a majority on the council, but it dwindled as further returns came in. and finally it was obvious that the Citizens would have a majority of several seats. Between entertaining visitors, the Mayoress also kept an eye on the progress returns, not only of the council but of the North Canterbury Hospital Board, to which she sought re-elec-tion. About 1 a.m. she saw that she was fifth on the list, a position she held when the final preliminary returns were completed.

Supporters Thanked * After thanking all members of the Labour Party who had worked for him. Mr Macfarlane said in his broadcast speech that he realised many persons outside the party had voted for him. He could not help but feel deeply moved that he had been re-elected with an increased majority, and that the citizens had placed their confidence in him.

“I congratulate Mr Mac Gibbon on the campaign that he fought,” Mr Macfarlane continued. “I have no reason to complain of any personalities as far as he is concerned. He fought a clean campaign, but I regret and I think it had some influence, not tremendous. on the result, that ope member of the body with which he is associated made a personal attack which I know was resented by many of the citizens.” Mr Macfarlane said a great deal of money had been snent in the campaign in an endeavour to secure his defeat. He thanked among others those who had compiled answers to the corresoondence columns, “which commenced so early in the campaign.” Those oeople had shown a spirit of fair play, he said.

“The press has fought me very hard on this occasion, and of course we expect that,” Mr Macfarlane said. “Next year we can expect the same measure of hostility and fight as far as the Labour Party is concerned. Today it has been proved again that the power of the press to influence people once they have made uo their minds has very little power to influence public opinion." Citizens’ Candidate “First of all I congratulate Mr Macfarlane,” said Mr Mac Gibbon. who recorded his sneech at the broadcasting station shortly after Mr Macfarlane. ‘‘lt has been a hard fight. I have tried to keep it clean. “Although Mr Macfarlane has won. I, hope this city will -progress under his leadership. I regret, naturally, that I have not become the leader of the team associated with me in this campaign. But the team has been good and we have played the team spirit. “There is still much to be done in the city, and I still hope there will be an opening of a new era in Canterbury, and that this city will be a city better to live in. work in and play in and also to look upon, as I stated when my campaign opened.” Mr Mac Gibbon said. “I regret that there has been a smaller poll.” he said. “It may have been that it was a fine day. but that is no excuse for people not exercising the franchise thev have. Think what is happening in Europe. The right to vbte is a very valuable thing. People should value the right. “There is much useful work for me to do in this city.” Mr Mac Gibbon concluded. “I love the city, which has been goqd to me. and with any power I have I will try to return something to the city.”