LOCAL ELECTIONS Long-serving Councillors Defeated; Citizens 16-3

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31809, 14 October 1968, Page 8

LOCAL ELECTIONS Long-serving Councillors Defeated; Citizens 16-3

Four Labour city councillors, three of them with long council service, lost their seats on Saturday, giving the Citizens’ Association a 16-3 majority compared with 12-7 for the last three years; and the final count of votes may upset the Labour Party even further.

All the sitting Citizens’ Association councillors seeking reelection were successful and six new candidates are assured of a seat, while Mr G. D. Griffiths, who is no stranger to the council, is on again, elected for a third time and with two defeats behind him.

The strong move against Labour, hailed by the Citizens’ as a landslide, had two exceptions where there were strong personal votes. Mr N. E. Pickering, who has been the "leader” of the Labour opposition for the last three years, finished third from the top of the poll while most of his colleagues could not get even that high on the unsuccessful list Mr R. H. Stillwell finished eighth. Mr Stillwell was also an exception to another voting trend a move away from older candidate* and councillors. This wa. shown by the defeat of Mr H. E. Denton, a veteran councillor, and to some extent the low vote recorded by Miss M. B. Howard, M.P., although in her case

there were other factors, and also by the lower place of Mr W. P. Glue, the 80-year-old councillor with 27 years council experience. He finished fifteenth. Mr R. M. Macfarlane, M.P, a former Mayor, was also a sufferer from the trend. On the provisional figures he is eighteenth. On the final count in which about 1700 special votes are expected to qualify, he could well give way to Mr D. B. Dallas, who is only 77 votes behind him. The last two places on the successful list and the first two on the unsuccessful could be changed with the final official figures. Other councillors who lost their seats were Mr L. Christie, who has been a member of the council for 15 years, and Mr W. H. Mathison, a brother of the unsuccessful mayoral candidate, who has had one term.

Of the new candidate®, Mr P. D. Dunbar, a N«w Brighton chemist and a member of the Transport Board, was the most successful, finishing fourth. The other new councillors are Mrs H. L. Garrett, known for her Interest in women’s part in public life; Mr E. B. E. Taylor, a solicitor and former Ambassador to Japan, Mr R. H. Stewart, a prominent businessman and manufacturer, Mr H. C. Blazey, a Rugby administrator, and Mr P. N. G. Blaxall, a young businessman. Candidates outside the main parties had their usual place at the bottom of the voting list, but ever, the lowest, a “Christian independent” saved his $6 deposit by polling more than the required oneeighth of the votes cast for the lowest successful candidate. In the following election-

night figures sitting members Ore indicated by an asterisk, as is the case with other election results on tills page:

•H. G. Hay (C.) .. 22,132 •P. J. Skelierup <c.> .. 20.368 •N. E. Pickering (L.) .. 18,532 P. D. Dunbar <C.) .. 18,190 •M. R, Carter (C.) .. .. 18,146 •w. V. Cowles <C.) .. 17,835 •L. G. Amos <C.) . .. 17,768 •B. H. Stl'HweH <L.) .. 17,545 •H. P. Smith (C.) .. .. 15,848 Mrs H. L. Garrett (C.) .. 16,840 •G. D. Hattaway (C.) .. 16,798 E. B. E. Taylor <C.) .. 16.589 R. H. Stewart (C.) .. 16,390 •B. J. Britten (C.) .. .. 16.365 •W, P. Glue (C.) .. .. 16.287 H. C. Blar.ey <C.) .. .. 16,207 G. D. GrlfßthS (C.) . . 15,972 •R. M. Macfarlane (L.) 15,776 P. N. G. Blaxall <C.) .. 15,756 (Ejected)

D. B. Dallas (C.) . .. 15.699 Mrs M. E. Lawrie (C.) . 15,593 A. F. G. McGregor (C.) 14,755 •L. Christie (L.) .. 14,602 •W. H. Mathison (L.) .. 14.469 •H. E. Denton (L.) .. 14.379 B. Alderdice (L.) .. 14.0W T. H. Boyle (L.) .. .. 12.777 R. Jones (L.) .. 12,171 J. F. Davidson (L.) .. 12,373 R. J. Cunningham (L.) .. 12.2. U A. F. Ross (L.) .. 11,970 •Miss M. B. Howard (L.) 11.88 F R. J. Stubberfield (L.) 11.82 s K. N. Larkin (L.) .. 11.608 T. Davey (L.) .. 11,415 P. V. Neary (L.) .. 11,293 M. F. Courtney (L.) .. 11.267 H. J. Henry (L.l .. .. 10.809 C. E. Cullen (I.) .. .. 3.495 J. G. Locke (Com.) 2,444 W. J. D. H. McFaul (I.) 1.850