Most Lyttelton councillors new

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33654, 2 October 1974, Page 3

Most Lyttelton councillors new

(By a local bodies reporter) At least six new councillors will be on the nine-member Lyttelton Borough Council after the elections on October 12, electors having a wide choice from 19 candidates, the biggest field for years. The Lyttelton Mayoralty is contested by two candidates. Issues at Lyttelton are not apparent. Voters may be influenced by their feelings over the library location argument — many residents want the library rebuilt on its present site, but the Labour-minority council has made a firm decision to move elsewhere. The Mayoral contest is expected to be a close thing—no novelty at Lyttelton, where the sitting Mayor, Mr J. B. Collett (Independent), nine years ago beat Mr F.

G. Briggs (Labour) by three votes on a Magisterial re- i count. 1 Mr Collett, 18 years on the council and 15 years as Mayor, stands for continued, steady progress, and would like to see action on full treatment for the town’s sewage. In 1971, Mr Collett had a clear win over Mr M. E. Foster (Labour), now trying for a council seat. His Labour opponent this time has a better chance. He is Mr G. C. Adams, a waterfront worker, who has been a councillor for 12 years, and was second highest on the council poll in 1971. He sees a need for a medical centre, a community centre and pensioner housing. Only three of the sitting councillors are standing again. Mr R. H. Duff, finance committee chairman, topped the poll in 1971, and seems certain of re-election. Mr W. S. Tredinnick, a garage proprietor, and Mr J. L. Baines, retired, are Labour candidates, Mr Tredinnick having the better chance.

Seven other candidates are nominated to fill the Labour ticket. Mr R. S. Adams, a watersider, is a brother of

Mr G. C. Adams, and a nephew of Mr J. E. Adams, standing as an Independent. Mr M. E. Foster, who was beaten for the Mayoralty in 1971, is the Canadian-born secretary of the Lyttelton Waterfront Workers’ Union. Mrs Waikuru McGregor, a housewife, is a daughter of the former Mayor, Mr Briggs. Little is known about the other four Labour candidates — Mr J. Austin, a watersider; Mr R. L. Stevenson, a locomotive assistant; Mr B. M. Tribble, a watersider; and Mr B. L. Tyro, a clerk, whose mother was a councillor. In addition to Mr Duff, there are nine other Independents standing for the council. Those with good prospects of election because of their long association with Lyttelton are Mrs Mary Gass, wife of Captain C. C. Gass, of the Union Steam Ship Company; Captain J. E. Crawford, born and bred in Lyttelton, and a Harbour Board pilot; and Mr S. C. Dailey, a service-station proprietor. The other Independents are Mr C. H. Gilmore, who farms above West Lyttelton; Mr J. E. Adams, a clerk; Mr F. W. M. Harding, an Englishman, retired to Corsair Bay, who was a Manukau City councillor from 1968 to 1971; Mr K. T. Keenan, who leases the council-owned store at Diamond Harbour; Mr R. D. Kennedy, a salesman for a Christchurch real estate firm; and Mr K. T. Sharp, a young builder, living at Cass Bay. Lyttelton electors have to help decide an interesting contest for the Lyttelton, Heathcote, Wairewa, and Mount Herbert seat on the

Harbour Board, where there are four candidates. For Labour is Mr Foster, whose Waterfront Union secretaryship may prove an embarrassment if he is elected. The sitting member, Mr T. D. J. Holderness, a farmer, of Gebbie’s Valley, got on the board through a dispute as to who should fill the vacancy caused by the death of Mr W. B. Laing soon after his election unopposed in 1971. The nominating councils could not agree, and Mr Holderness was appointed by the National Government, though he was not a nominee. A nominee who was rejected was Mr Laing’s son, Mr L. W. Laing, who is now standing. He is popular at Lyttelton, and it remains to be seen whether he can carry the day against the rural vote. Both he and Mr Holderness are standing as Independents. A dark horse is Dr J. E. Keithley, a Lyttelton physician, from England, who also stands as an Independent. The Lyttelton, Heathcote, Mount Herbert, Akaroa, Wairewa and Chatham Islands seat on the Hospital Board, from which Mr J. B. Hay has retired, has three contenders —Mr Tredinnick (standing also for the council). Dr D. W. Beaven, of Cashmere, who is professor of medicine at the Christchurch Clinical Centre; and Mrs N. J. Johnson, a housewife, of Heathcote Valley. Riccarton There is no contest for the Riccarton Mayoralty, where Mr R. W. J. Harrington, in office for the last six years, is returned unopposed. For the Borough Council, nine men will contest the eight seats, and there will be two new councillors in any case to fill vacancies caused by the retirement of Messrs J. B. Midgley and F. R. Longley. The present council is wholly Riccarton Citizens. The Riccarton Ratepayers’

and Residents’ Association has not put up a ticket, discouraged, no doubt, by lack of past success. Sitting councillors standing again are Messrs D. A. Anderson, M. N. Cooper, J. H. Hurst, R. S. Lester, P, J. McAloon and P. D. O'Meeghan. The three new candidates are two for the Riccarton Citizens—Mr A. W. Taylor, a coal merchant, and Mr G. R. Marriner, a senior traffic inspector—and Mr D. W. Parlane, of no declared political affiliation, the owner of an art gallery at Victoria Street, living in the borough, and who wants low-interest loans. Borough electors should run true to form, and elect an all-Citizens council. The Riccarton-Middleton seat on the Drainage Board is contested by the sitting member, Mr T. B. Whelan (Citizens) and Mrs F. E. Leach (Labour), whose husband is sitting member and contestant for the board’s Paparua seat. For the one RiccartonPaparua seat on the Hospital Board, the nominees are Mrs P. M. Zeff (Labour) the sitting member, a social worker, and Dr J. R. Dawson, a physician at Riccarton. No election is needed for the two Riccarton-Waimairi seats on the Transport Board, where Mr M. O. Holdsworth (sitting) and Mrs H. M. Bonisch have been elected unopposed. Heathcote As there are contests in all ridings, more than usual interest will be taken in the Heathcote County Council elections. Feeling is still strong against amalgamation with the Christchurch City — the big issue six years ago, when pro-amalgamation candidates were dumped. There appear to be few issues otherwise, and there are no party affiliations. Mr A. I. Emmett has retired after six years as one of the four Cashmere councillors. There are six candidates, including the three remaining councillors — the county chairman, Mr J. Soniers; a former chairman, Mr E. L.

Tyndall; and Mr W. N. Rathbun. All seem fairly safe. The other candidates are Mr J. Richardson, a building contractor; Mr Johann W. Ostler, a real-estate salesman; and Mr D. J. Patchett, a farmer. Four contenders for the! two Hillsborough seats include the sitting members, Mr! R. H. T. Thompson, a univer-j sity lecturer who has taken ' a strong stand against Canterbury Regional Planning. Authority policies; and Mr J. M. McKenzie, secretary-! organiser of the Canterbury! branch of the Public Service Association, outspoken on many subjects. Their opponents are Mr R.; B. McKenzie, a company, director, and Mrs M. J. Taylor, a housewife. Their' chances depend on how well they become known, and on how the women vote for a woman. Four contenders for the two Valley seats are the sitting members, an exchairman, Mr J. S. Scott, and Mr E. G. Collins, both valued councillors; Dr A. R. Mundy, a Horotane Valley orchardist; and Mr B. E. Fitzwilliam. a paymaster, who says he is “the stormy petrel of the riding.” Heathcote shares a seat with -’aparua on the Tr asport Board. The sitting member. Mr N. C. A. Muirson, is not anding. Candidates are Mr A. J. McTainsh, a former chairman of the Drainage Board; and Mr R. C. Mitchell, a teacher, who, in 1971, as the nearest unsuccessful candidate in the election for the board’s city members, was appointed on the death of one of them. Dr Beaven, Mrs Johnson and Mr Tredinnick are candidates for the county joint seat on the Hospital Board, and are referred to in the notes on Lyttelton (above). The two candidates for the county Drainage Board seat are the sitting member, Mr C. H. Russell (Independent) and Mr N. D. Dunn (Labour), a salesman. No election is needed for the Catchment Board, Mr R. H. Mackenzie having been returned unopposed.