THE NEW MAYOR.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1423, 25 April 1912, Page 6

THE NEW MAYOR.

MR. M'LAREN ELECTBO. LABOUR CANDIDATE'S EASY WIN. RESULTS ELSEWHERE. Tho City Mayoral election yesterday was pno of tho dullest on record. Tho stir and bustle, usually associated with tho culmination of a contest for popular, favour wero almost entirely absent. A lew motor-cars were pressed into service, but .they were not conspicuous. Tho weather was bad enough to take the edge tiff enthusiasm, if any had oxisted. Rain fell _with slight intermission, and no doubt many, electors preferred the comfort'of indoors to a comfortless journey to the nearest polling booth. At.the Town Hall and other of the moro important booths, scrutineers and supporters of'the-'candidates were industrious, but this, like other features of the election day, was subdued, and there was an absence of any of tho merry bustle of an- ordinary pollinj; day. Considering that there were four candidates in the field, tho total number of valid votes cast (10,333) was very small. ]t was exceeded by over a thousand in 1910," when only two candidates contested the "Mayoralty. Rumours as to the result of the poll were, afloat as usual during tho day, but upon the whole popular opinion steadfastly favoured the prospects of the "Labour candidate, and when the result wns announced it did not surprise anybody.. . V ' THE POLL DECLARED. SPEECHES'AT THE TOWN HALL. About one hundred persons, many of them well known in Labour circles, assembled at tho Town Hall to hear tho result of the. poll. Most of the returns were in the hands of the city returning officer (Mr. .Tames Ames) by 7.45. p.m.; and it was then evident that Mr. M'Laren would (head the'-lis't. The-final result of the •poll would have been-declared at. eight o'clock hut for a delay of. about a quarter'of an-.hour at number, one booth, in the Rechabites' Hall. When the totals had been<-compiled, it-was found that Mr. M'Laren had been, returned with a. majority of 1601 votes. The 10,333 votes cast wero--apportioned as follow:— Mr. M'Lnren ■ : :i ; .':.'.V.''....'.....'..'..'..i" 4235.. Mr. 8i55!':...:„.„....::....;;...:;..: 2634. Mr. 5mith'..*...:....:.. : 1907 Mr. Wright '..;............;.;...... 1557 POLLING DETAILS; '~ VOTING AT THE BOOTHS. . The follbiving'.table gives detail particulars of the voting .-at' the .various polling places:— '.■."'-.''.'. ■'••■■'.'■''■..■.',■" ." '. %'.' •. . j. ■"■'""-/"-■ ■.-:. 3 • ■%. I ■ :%■ Island Bay 35 72 21 28 Century Hall, Keufc Terrace .';.. 141 28G' 129. iHO .Victoria Hall, Ade- . laide Road ..." ', 54- - 23G 42 aBO St. Thomas's School-— ••■-•"■■• ■-- '■•>'•; room, Riddiford Street 153 ,127., 100 199 (Druids' Hall, Tara- •' ■'• '■■■■■ ■• riaki Street'.'...'....". "129' 408 160 '82 Masonic Hall, Adelaide Road 19 125 'Hi 49 Churchroom, Maranui '13 31 4 4 Kilbirnie Hall 99 127 2G 4i JjowlinK Pavilion, . Hataitai 61 85 33 35 Schoolroom, Rosenca'th ■'■'■ 13 39 9 12 St. Mark's Schoolroom, Sussex Square 48 70 38 2G Social. Hall, Wadestowji 23 58 9 7 Church Schoolroom, Tinakori Road ... 2G - 50 33'-'• 11 Kearney's . Tea- ... rooms, ' Tinakort Road IB 36 17 12 Churchroom, Northland .... ; .... 1C 41 27 .13 Churchroom, Kelburiio ..-. 2G 14 11 23 Churchroom, Aro Street 1... 15 10G 18 1G Baptist Schoolroom, Brooklyn ... 58 182 51 100 JWvtoK'n Library, ■ •■ ■ ■ Rvvans Street ... - 55 - IGO .56 98 IMoxnndra Hall, Abel Smith Street. 80 175 109 94 Reehabite Hall, ; . Manners Street ... 142 318 103 8r O'nrnbull's Auction Rooms 290 149 139 G:j ITnrcoivrt's Auction Rooms ....; 442 242 191 93 Sydney Street ■Schoolroom 293 303 142 89 a'own Hall 352 495 370 .188 Totals 2,G3t 4,235 1,907 1,557 THE MAYOR-ELECT. When Mr. Ames announced the result of the poll from the steps of the town Hall, it was received with cheers. Uriel addresses wero delivered by Messrs. M'Laren, Smith, and Wright. Cheers were, given for Mr. M l.aren mid for Mrs. M'Laren (who accompanied her husband) as the .Mayor-elect came forward to speak. He said that he was very proud of the position in which his fellow-citizens had placed him. He detired to acknowledge with tho utmost heartiness that the contest throughout jhad been conducted with gentlemanJiness nnd courtesy. : At the moment, ihe was impressed, . not so much, by the honour done him, as by the responsibility attaching to the lusher duties lie wns called upon to fulfil. As far as no was able to, and in association with his fellow councillors, he would stand for the labour principles to which he had given expression during tho Mayoral campaign. He would labour to promote the best intnrests of the whole tody of the citizens nnd for the advancement of the city. Mr. M'Laren expressed for , the aspistance. -rendered him bv his wife, and declared himself confident that- she would hn able to do something, with himself, for the advancement of Ihe city. (Clicrrs.) At Mr. M'Laren's call cheers were g'.vcn for his opponents.

COUNCILLOR J. SMITH. Mr. J. Smith endorsed Mr. M'Laren's jtatement that tho contest had been a clean one. He believed, ho-said, that he ■had a right In ask the citizens to give him the Mayoral chair for one year on account of past services. However, that was not to b.\ niu! he accented the verdict with the best of good grace. (Applause.) lie did not propose again to ask citizens to put him back into . the council. Tie. thought that he miirht have had a little better treatment, but he accepted the verdict, and was pleased that his friend should occupy the chair. Notwithstanding ■what might be said about Labour, he had never been opposed to unions, although he had been niiposed to persons behind the unions. (Applause.) MR. R. A, WRIGHT. Mr I'. A. Wright said that he wns once <!"nin in tho position of being n defeated candidate, and had learned by experience ■what it was to go through o Mayoral contest It had astonished him to nnu how little interest- oeople took in municipal affairs. The newspapers had reported as "large" meetings attended by about 25 persons. (Laughter.) One section, the labour party, had' been thoroughly alive to municipal affairs. He believed that thev were going to teach some people in ■Wellington a lesson over this eaTiDaiiTii. AVhen he announced himself he had no idea that the Labour party was going to run a man. Had he known- that a Labour mnn was going to stand he would cer : tainlv have not contested the seat. J'robnbly' Mr Wright continued, h» would coiiie out again. A defeat or two, niopor less did not worry him. He hoped that r»Nt time he would have a better otgnn-is-ition and perhaps make a better fifrlit. He thanked all the friends who lnd turned out to vote for him. (Applause.) Mr. M'La.ren now expressed his thanks to th'» committee that had worked to seriire his return, and called for ch«rs for fhe huhoMT movement. Thfm, at Mr. M'Laren's pall) a vote ot thanis .rcas

passed to the returning officer, mid the gathering dispersed.

MR. A. S. BISS. : There were calls for Mr. Bis? when the other candidates had spoken, but he did not put in an appearance. In an advertisement appearing in auother' column, Mr. Biss regrets that ho arrived at the Town Hall too late to address the elector*. He thanks those who worked on his behalf and voted for him. and states that, though defeated, he will at all times be willing to place his services at the disposal of citizens. INSTALLATION OF MAYOR. Mr. D. M'Laren will be installed as Mayor of Wellington at a special meeting to be held for that purpose at noon on Wednesday next. On tho samo day tho new Mayor of Miramar (Mr. Hector M'Leod) will be initiated into his new duties. VOTING AND ROLL TOTALS. Tho table printed below shows the number of valid votes recorded at successive Mayoral elections in Wellington since 1905. There was no contest in 1900, nor in 1911, when Mr. Wilford was returned unopposed :— Valid Number votes. on roll. 1912 10,333 30,005 1910 11,515 31,878 19D9 13,ll)(i M.MIi 190 S./. 11,818 28,682 1907 8,021 21,1112 1905 9,095 19,703 Following are the totals polled for tho candidates at the Mayoral election of 1910:— T. AT. Wilford, 0215; C. J. Crawford, 5270. , THE FIRST LABOUR MAYOR. , BRIEF BIOGRAPHY. Mr. M'Laren is the first Labour Mayor to be elected in .New Zealand. He was born at Glasgow (Scotland), in five sixties, and was brought up in the manufacturing town of Paisley, where, at tho age of eleven years, he commenced to work as a "half-timer." His parents were early colonists, who had spent sixteen years in .New Zealand before returning to the town in which he was born._ Young M'Laren was educated at board schools, and has been throughout his life an omnivorous reader. He arrived in Now Zealand by tho ship Duncdin at the age of. fourteen. Ho was hampered for many years by poor sight, and at one period iu his childhood was blind, but. his sight has since become stronger. Mr. M'Laren worked at the bootmaking trade, in Dunedin for nine years, and subsequently pursued the same calling in AVellington. Afterwards he took up different classes of outdoor employment in the country, as well as in the cities. It was after coming to Wellington that he began to take an interest in , public affairs. The first public meeting he remembers addressing was one called in support of the engineers of Great Britain, who were out on strike. At this meeting Mr. M'Lnren seconded a resolution which was proposed by the present Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout). In 1901 Mr. M'Laren was elected to the City Council, of which body he • has sincebeen a member. In 1902 he stood as a Labour candidate, for election to the House .of Representatives, and was defeated. In 1905 ho stood for Wellington East, and was again defeated, but in 1908 he was" returned by a substantial majority. He was unseated at the general election of last year by Dr. Newman. For a, number of years Mr. M'Laren has played an active part in Labour affairs. Ho assisted to form •-.the Waterside Workers' Federation, and wns secretary of the Wellington AVharf Labourers' Union from 18G9 until he entered Parliament in 1908. Ho has been connected with many other labour organisations, and has for years l>eon an advocate of Labour unity. Sinco the general election of 1911 ho has been engaged in organising work connected with the movement which led up to the formation of. the United Labour Party a few weeks-ago.

ALLEGED LAXITY. RETURNING OFFICER IN REPLY. Speaking at the Trades Hall on Tuesday evening, Mr. D. M'Laren protested that there had been a lack of arrangements at the. Town Hull that day (St. George's Day) for giving citizens information ■• in .regard tu ; the -election. Mr. M'Laren stated that several people had •informed him that, on visiting the Town Hall, they had found the offices closed, and no one left in charge to supply information. Mr. M'Laren said that he thought that one officer at least might have, been told off for duty on tho day precediug a Mayoral election, and contended that there had been too much laxitv in 'attending to the .requirements of citizens in connection with the election. The reply made by Mr. ,T. Ames, City Returning Officer, .to, these' 'strictures (when they, were brought under Jus notice yesterday) was that he. had attended at his office on Tuesday from 9 a.m. until 5.30 p.m., so that it was quite .open to citizens to obtain from him any information they required .regarding.the election. Mr. 31'Larcn. himself,' Mr. Ames'added, had obtained some rolls during the day. The City Solicitor (Miv J. 0 Shea) also attended at his office all day on Tuesday, and the returning Officer _ further pointed out-that a list'of the various pollingplaces, hours' of polling, etc.,' had been published in the newspapers for kome days. '. ' ■ : :