Citizens’ victory

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33664, 14 October 1974, Page 1

Citizens’ victory

Cr Hay to be new Mayor after high poll ousts Labour

Christchurch voters, invited in election slogans to "’give the city back to Citizens’ ”, did just that on Saturday in a remarkably high poll for a local body election in the city.

In the most closely-fought contest for the Mayoralty in more than 40 years, Mr N. G. Pickering (Labour) was unseated by the Citizens’ candidate, Cr H. G. Hay; the Citizens’ Association gained an 11-8 majority on the City Council; and the association achieved complete dominance of all the ad hoc bodies.

Election-night figures give Cr Hay a lead of 1765 votes over Mr Pickering. The election result was a reversal of that three years ago when Mr Pickering took the Mayoralty from Mr A. R. Guthrey—the first time in 46 years that a sitting Mayor had been defeated in Christchurch—and the Labour Party swept to control in the council.

Then it was generally conceded that the Labour Party had provided the best organisation; this year the same will be held of the Citizens’ Association.

The poll was very high (about 61 per cent when the 5000 special votes are included), but the number of extra votes which went to the Citizens’ Association was indicative of the groundwork done on its behalf.

Mr Pickering increased his poll of three years ago, but by only 875 votes. Cr Hay polled 4505 more vote,s than Mr Guthrey did in 1971. It was this sort of increased poll, rather than a marked swing in public opinion, which returned Citizens candidates to the council. Boards The association also has control of all the ad hoc bodies, but here there was some evidence of an antiLabour vote. The Citizens 11-8 control of the new council is a return to ttje balance of power before the 1971 election. The gain of three seats by the association unseated only one Labour councillor, however.

Two sitting Labour councillors, Crs R. J. Cunningham (who retired a few months ago) and D. R. Dowell, were not seeking reelection. Their places have been taken by Citizens candidates. And Cr A. F. Orme was unable to overcome the handicap of being nominated by his party in the very, strong Citizens West ward, trailing the successful Citizens candidates by more than 3400 votes.

As predicted, the battle for the Mayoralty was the hardest-fought issue, and it was not until only 10 of the 132 polling returns remained to be counted that there was any firm indication of who would be Mayor. “Close run’’

It w-vs a two-man race all the way. From the first returns until almost the very end, first one then the other would take a narrow lead. Even with 80 out of the 132 returns in, and both of the major candidates having polled into the 16,0005, the difference was one vote. Earlier in the evening, Mr Pickering had quoted the Duke of Wellington and said it was going to be “a closerun thing.” It was. But over the last 15 returns Cr Hay steadily increased his lead to a final election-night tally of 26,919 votes. Both of the other two unsuccessful candidates, Messrs G. Williams (Values) and Mr C. M. Hansen (Independent), lost their deposits. Although it had been thought that Mr Williams might have had some effect on the Mayoral issue, he polled only 2013 votes and it is unlikely that he had any effect at all. Mr Hansen’s 317 votes were only two more than the number of informal votes least. Special votes In the city, the counting of the 5000 special votes is not expected to make any changes to the Mayoralty, nor to the balance of power on the council, but in two wards the final decision as to who will carry a particular group’s banner might be affected. In other areas, the special votes will decide close contests for the Wairarapa riding of Waimairi County, and for the Hillsborough and Cashmere ridings of the Heathcote Countv Council. I Status quo At Wairarapa, a sitting councillor, Mr 1.. A. Holland, is nine votes ahead of Mrs H. M. Tait on tha provisional

count. For Cashmere, Cr W. N. Rathbun, a sitting councillor, is in fifth place for four seats, and at Hillsborough, another sitting member, Cr J. M. McKenzie, is out by 18 votes on the provisional count.

The status quo largely marked other county elections. Mr J. B. Collett comfortably retained the Lyttelton Mayoralty against a Labour challenge from Mr G. C. Adams, and Independents took six of the eight borough council seats. Independents are again in sole charge of the Riccarton Borough Council.