THE NEW MAYORS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 98, 25 April 1912, Page 3

THE NEW MAYORS.

MR. D. M'LAREN RETURNED FOR WELLINGTON. A DECISIVE VICTORY. Tho Mayoral elections yesterday in and around Wellington were among tho quietest and dullest on record. Any little latent enthusiasm that did exist was almost entirely obliterated by the wretched weather. fTain fell persist- : ently during the day, and thousands of people wero quite content to btay at home and leave the is3ue in the hands of more venturesome folk. The prediction that the poll in Wellington would be chiefly remarkable for its fimsdlnccfi was amply verified. Out of 30,000 people on the roll, only 10,333 recorded their votes. Early in the day it was plain Mr. M'Laren'a supporters anticipated a victory. The Labour candidate's organisation wa£ superior to that of his opponents, and when it was ultimately announced that he had won by 1601 votes over the next highest candidate tho hundred odd people who had gathered at the Town Hall were not surprised. The figures polled by each candidate wcro : — • Mr. M'Lareft ... ... 4235 Mr. Bies 2634 ' Mr. Smith 1907 Mr. Wright ' 155? The dotutied figures cv tiio various bcofchs w«rot — j

CANDIDATES RETURN THANKS. ' 'A CLEANLY-FOUGHT CONTEST. i , _____ When the result* wer« announced by the Eeturning Officer at the main entrance of the Town Hall, three cheers were given for Mr. M'Laron. one more for Mrs. M'Laren, who accompanied her husband/ and one more for Labour. Mr. M'Laren said it would be absolutely incorrect if he said ho was notproud of the position in which hi* fellow citizens had put him. He desired to acknowledge with the utmost heartineefi that throughout the contest those who opposed him had done so with the utmost gentlemanliness and courtety. (Hear, bear.) The Acting-Mayor (Councillor Smith) had treated him whilst he was an opponent with a. kindness and thoughtfulnees which he (Mr. M'Laren) appreciated. The honour of the' position did not weigh upon him so much' as the responsibility attaching to the higher duties which he was called upon to fulfil. During the struggle he affirmed the principle, which, he had -believed in for years, that the collective interests of the people should at all times take precedence of the individual. As far ub he was able , he should, with -the assistance of his fellow-councillors, endeavour to have that translated • into action for the best interests, he thought they would recognise, for the whola body of citizens and for the advancement of the city. (Hear, hear.) The city- had made great strides, but there were still a great many works to be carried out, and in carrying them out ho should act in co-operation with his fellow-councillors to the end that the larger forces, the more unitod forces, should be brought to bear towards securing the beet rcsulte for the people. He paid a tribute to Mrs. M'Laren for the valuable help aha had been, to him, auk in conclusion called for three cheers for the defeated candidates. The cheers were heartily given. - Councillor Smith, heartily thanked all whu had assisted him in "the contest. They had an uphill fight, but they fought in a gentlemanly manner. He believed he had a right, to ask the citizens to pat him iv the Mayoral chair for one year, on account of 'his past .•*erviots. However, that was not to be. He took the defeat -with the greatest of good grace. He 'did not propose at any time to ask the electors to put him back into the council or into the Mayoral chair. He had* served his time in the city, and he thought he ought to have had a little better treatment. However, he accepted the verdict, and could only cay he was very plea&ed that his friend. had been elected. He had never been against unions, but he had taken exception, to persons behind the Unions. He did not say that out of disrespect to anybody, but he was satisfied now from what he had heard and seen that his fears wore baseless. Thay would have a man in the Mayoral chair who was quite up to the bu6ines<s of the city, and he (Mr. Smith) would do his best to assist him co long aa he believed he was on the right track. If he thought he was wrong ho should tell him so. (Applause.) Mr. Wright said that until he entered this contest he' had no idea that people took such little interest in municipal matters. When one paper ,called a meeting "huge" which was attended by 25 cr 30 people — (laughter) — they could ' get some idea of what a small meeting would be. It was evident that there was onu section of the community that was thoroughly alive to municipal affaire, and that was the Labour Party. (Applause.) When It© first announced himself as a candidate ha had no ideti the Labonr Party was going to run a. man. Subsequently it was decide! to do u.i. He raado no complaint about thui. Had he known ti Labour candidate was; going to stand he should not have contested the petition, because he bad come to the conclusion that a contest was cnsLly and v/orrying, and you had the satisfaction cf finding yourself boinetinies, us he did, at the bottom of the poll. (Laughter and applause.) In aJJ probability he should come again. He thanked all those who had fought for him. He did not envy Mr. M'Laren going into the Mayoral chair. He was going to have twelve' months of an exceedingly,. j?orryiag tine.

Mv« M'Laien al«> thanked the membeis of the various committees that had worked for him during the contest, and also the general body of the citizens for tho very great- kindness they had exhibited. He had never Mood 1 except as a Labour man, and he did not think he was likely to do anything different as long ai he lived. Ho was known a* a Labour man. If he was, silly enough to stand in any/ other 'capacity his fellow citizens would know that ho was acting dishonestly, and ho desired, whatever failings he might huvo, to behonest. Ho desired to be siucero in the interests of tho 'city and of the Labour movement, and he asked those assembled to give three hearty chers for tho Labour movement. The cheers were given with great heartiness, and, cheers having also been given for the Upturning- Officer, the gathering dispersed. Mi. M'Laren, in response to an urgent request, also addressed tt numerous gathering from ths Evening Post balcony. This had, he .said, been the cleanest election lie had ever taken part in in his life, and he desired to heartily acknowledge the courtesy and kindness of his opponents from beginning to end. (A voice : What about the Citizens' League?) "When a_n'ght is over," replied Mr. M'Laren, "a man who understands lifo will let the minor things drop." (Laughter and applause.) Ho was, he added, weighted with a sense of responsibility, because tho duties they had placed on his shoulders were very onerous indeed. He would endeavour to carry out those duties honestly and sincerely. He believed that in making- that effort he should have tho hearty co-operation of the members of i Lhe council "and the citizens of Welling ' ton. (i\pplau>-c.) Mr. Wright also spoke on the lines of his previous speech at the Town Hall. Mr. Bies arrived too late to address those- assembled. Ho «xplains the position in the following letter received by Lhe Editor of The Post to-day: "A* the losult of the poll came out much earlier than I artwc.ipa.ted, I ,<vas not at th« I Town Hall al the time the candidate* returned -tha-nke to the electors. I de&ire, therefore, .to convey through your columns my congratulations to Mr. M'Laren. who. I feel sure, will not do all the dreadful thing* that some people anticipate; on the other' hand', Mr. M'Laren should be well able U> keep things moving in the right direction, and see that Wellington does not lag behind the other cities in municipal enterprise. £ consider the voting has shown that I was justified in contesting the election. From what I could hear, I think many of the votes given to Mr. Wright and myself would have gone to Mr. Sl'Laren if we had retired from the contest. Consequently it is by no means certain that Mr. Smith would have been returned if it had been a straight-out contest between him and Mr. M'Laren. Had thi« not been' anticipated by me I would have been prepared to favourably consider Councillor Smith's request that Tie should be allowed an. open field, free from competition from Mr. Wright and myeeJf. I appreciate the support I received from so many people who' were Strangers to me, und am glad to be able* to say that as a result of the election I have made many friend?, and. I hope, but few enemies. I should like to make a suggestion regarding Councillor Smith's past services to the city. Could he be persuaded to allow his portrait to be hung with, those of past Mayors, an inscription, plate to be attached stating the vieare covered' by his long service?" BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE " MAYOR-ELECT, i Wellington's first Labour Mayor, Mr. D. M'Laren, is a native of Glasgow, where he was born in the sixties. As a boy he commenced work as a. "halftimer," and came .to New Zealand in the ship Dunedin when fourteen yeaa'K of age. * In his youth he was hampered by defective eyesight. He worked at the bootmaking trade- in ■ Dunedin for nine years, and during that timeim proved his outlook by studying political economy. After coming to Wellington his failing eyesight necessitated his relinquishing his trade; and' he' followed outdoor employment for tome, years Always an active supporter of the Labour cause, he gradually came into the public view. His first appearance in public was when he spoke at a mass meeting in aupport of the engineers in Great Britain who were' on strike at the time. He first entered local politics in 1901, when he polled 3210 votes and was elected to the Oity Council. Since that time he lias never been defeated in municipal polls, and on the- last occasion he occupied fourth position in the poll. Air. M'Laren. sitood for Parliament in 1902, contesting the Wellington seat (then on© electorate) and polling 1000 votes. In 1905 Tie contested th© Wellington, East.eeat and- polled 746 votes. At the election of 1908 he polled 1746 votes at the first ballot. At the second ballot he polled 3400 votes, and was, returned tr» Parliament, being the first pledged Labour candidate to enter the Souse. At £he< last election he was defeated by Dr. Newman for Wellington East by a narrow majority. At one time Mr. M'Lsren waa'secretary of the Wellington, Wharf Labourers' Union and secretary of the Waterside WoxkeiV Federation. The ' organisation of the latter body is ainiost entirely due, to hife efforts, latterly he has been largely instrumental in bringing - into effect the Unity proposal which resulted in the formation of the United "Labour Party of New Zealand. LOWER HUTT, MR. BUNNY RE-ELECTED. Only a email pruportion of the electors at Lower Hutt — 1236 out of a roll number of about 4000— took the trouble to record their votes. Being a somewhat scattered district, the boisterous weather naturally seriously' affected the voting, for a much heavier poll was anticipated. Yesterday was the second occasion ou which Mr. Baldwin had opposed th<eitting Mayor (Mi 1 . -Bunny), who has now. held office, for three successive years. This year Mr. Bunny has gained the people's verdict with a majority of exactly 100, the voting being ac under ; — E. P. Bunny . „. 663 H. Baldwin .... ... 563 . Informal ... ... io _ The result was made known in quick time, the arrangements made by tho Returning Officer (Mr. P. R. Purser) being in every way satisfactory. He announced the final figures shortly after 7.30 o'clock. Both candidates briefly addressed those who had assembled, thanking- their respective supporters for the way in which .they had worked durin"the campaign. PETONE. MR. M'EWAN'S BIG MAJORITY. The- voting at I'etoue, though not large, was bigger than was anticipated, j considering the weather conditions. The result was a decisive victory for the sitting Mayor (Mr. J. W. M'Ewan),' *ho won with a majority of 801. Several mater-cars and other vehicles were employed by the candidates, who had botlj organised well. This remaik particularly applies to Mr. M'Ewan, who had a strong and active committee walking for him. It i& generally conceded that the- principal issue was the suggested sewage drainage.. Jir., M'Enan had an-

nounced himeelf strongly in. favour of this being cariied out immediately, while Mr. Piper's references had been les6 detinito. The tinal result was known boipie 8 o'clock, and credit is due to the Returning Uflicei' (Mr. ij. Webster) and his assistants for the' smart manner in v.iiich the figures wei© made known. The polling was as follows: — J. W. Jl'Ewan 1232 I ' J. Piper 431 Informal 7 Majority 301 A fair number of people awaited the result at the Municipal Buildings. Mr. M'Ewan , rewpondod to the call for , a speech. "I never doubted What "the resalt would be." ho 6aid. "but I certainly did not expect such an overwhelming majority. 1 regard the result in the light of compensation, for the pinprick-, ing, street-corner criticism which I have bee a subjected to during the lust three years. 1 regard the result, also, ac a. mandate from the people to cany out the policy of pi ogress which I enunciated during th© course of the campaign. I will take an early opportunity of placing that policy before the council, and I expect the council to loyally back me up. If the council refuses to do co, I will consider it desirable to place the matter again hi the hands of tha people, asking them to Teaffirm the vardict they have given to-day. As I have previously stated, I am for progress with, due regard to economy. I heartily thank you aU for the solid' support you have given me." (Applause.) Mr. Pipw likewise thanked those who had worked for him during the campaign, and also those who had voted for him that day. Ab a. result of the election Mr. M'Ewan now enters 1 upon his sixth coasecutive term of office. MIRAMAR. MR. H. N. M'BEOD. The contest for the Mayoralty of Miramar was a very close one., Mr. H. N. M'Leod ibeing returned- by a majority of 20 votes. The voting was as follows : —

The vacancies were caused' by th« retirement of Mr. H. E. Richards (who con tested "the Mayoralty) and Mi*. Lawrence. After the poll was declared Mr. M'Leod briefly thanked the electors at Worser Bay and Seatemn. He «aid he hoped he would merit the confidence reposed' in him, and jiaid a tribute to the manly way in which Mr. Richards had conducted his campaign. Mr. Richards and the candidates for the council also returned thanks. Mi 1 . M'Leod has taken an active interest in local affairs in Miramax for some years. Recently h© came into prominence, in connection "with certain litigation in which the G&f Company was concerned. He is a, well-known land agent, and is Scoutmaster of the Wellington Corpe of Boy Scouts. ONSLOW Only one candidate came forward to contest the Mayoralty with Mr. 21 oldsworth, but the latter- was returned with a substantial .'majority. The - figures , polled by each candidate were :—: — Mr. Frank Holdfworth... 190 Mr. ' Charlea ' Maiawajing 91 Informal ... ... 2 Majority «. ... 99 Mr. Holdsworth is a. Wellington barrister and solicitor. He ie a son of the late Mr. •J. G. Holds worth, at one time Commissioner of Crown Lands in Wellington. .He was born. in 1871. and was educated at the Terrace School and Wellington College. ' For come yeava he was a well-known cricketer, and on several occasions represented the province. This ia Mr. Holdaworth's second term ( of office. KARORI, Tne contest in Karori resulted m the re-election of Mr. Charles Cathie by a majority of 77 votes. Details.: — Mr. Charles Cathie - 277 Mr. W. A. Kellow 200 j Majority ... ... 77 Mr. Cathie is a native of Edinburgh, and head of a large clothing manufactory in Wellington. He has been a resident of Karori for nineteen years. i . EASTBOURNE. The poll , m Eastbourne placed Mr. H. W. Shortt in charge of the borongh affairs for a third term. He was opposed by Mr. W. Hobbs, and secured reelection by a majority of 61. Details : . . Hobbs. Shortt. In town 87 123 . At Eastbourne ... 42 62 129 190 Mr. Shortt was born in Essex, thirtyfive years ago. He was educated at the Mount Cook Boys' School in Wellington, and has resided here since. He has been associated with his father in "business in Willis-street for several years, and with him has been closoly identified with the development of Eastbourne. He was elected Mayor of Eastbourne in 1910, when he beat Mr. Hobbs by 109 votes, and. was returned again in 1911, when he defeated Mr., David Robertson by 93' votes. IN OTHER~CENTRES. r»I TELKOEAPH— PRESS ASSOCIATION,] Levin — B. R. Gardener, re-elected by 374 votes against 224 for senior Councillor Blenkhorn. Hamilton — A. E. Manning elected. New Plymouth — G. W. Browne (retiring Mayor) 704, J. S. S. Medley 639. Stratford— W. P. Kirkwood 473, J. M'Allister 223. Hawera— A. W. Gillies 364, H. K. Whittington (retiring Mayor) 207. Taihape — A. Nathan (the retiring Mayor) defeated H. D. Bennett by 14 votes. There was keen interest in the contest, and the voting constitutes it record. WtaganuL— C. E. Mackay 1955, Meuli 700. Wanganui East — Alfred Burton defeated John Jone:% (the retiring Mayor) by 100 votes. Palmerston North— J. A. Nash 2250, F. J. Nathan 941. Alfred Seifert was elected to the vacancy on the council by a majority of 902 over Tasker and Wollermaii. Woudville — James Grant 286, George lledwcod 251. Ma*terton — J. M. Corudine (retiring Mayor) was re-elected by a substantial majority over Councillor T. G. Hear. Richmond — James Hunt (retiring Ma.voi) 174, W. E. Wilkee 149. J. S. Wratt 250, C. E. Lowe (retii ivy, Mayo:) Wf). Blenheim — Councillor Coivv 612, (J. J. Griffiths 425, J. J. White 235.

Greymouth — Councillor Perkins elected. Weslpcrt — J. P. Greenwood 919 (sixth year in succession), A. Leaver 635. Tiniaru — T. Hawkey (acting-Mayor) 1590, W. H. Hunt 863. Waimato— John Black 378, W. M. Hamilton 330. Itostyn— K. Menzie 662, A. Washer 646, A. Matheeon 380. St. Kilda— S. B. Maedouald 904, T. Athlon 478. Port Channels— D. A. Do Mans 467, i G. L. Asher 170. Green Island— J. Lindsay 231, W. Geddes 223. invercdigiJl— W. B. Scandrett 1959, i A. Bain 1203. The Labour Party has nominated M. J. Forde as a eandidato for the council vacancy caused by Mr. Scandrett's elevation. Goro — Mr. Poppelwell defeated Mr. M'Dougall by 71 votes. MR. PARR RETURNED FOR AUCKLAND GREAT MAJORITY. AUCKLAND, 24th April. The Mayoral election took place today, when the sitting Mayor (Mr. C. J. Parr) decisively defeated Mr. Hall Skelton, the figures being — Paxr . .. ..-. 10,093 Skelton 3,543 Majority for Parr 6,550 Mr. Skelton had the support of the Federation of Labour, and the contest created great interest in view of the recent Labour dispute. [lif aSLBGEATH — SPECIAL TO TH» POST.] ' .AUCKLAND, This Day. Great interest was taken in the Mayoral election yesterday, aaid Mr. Paw's great victory to have aroused general satisfaction. Out of 26,428 person*' on the roll, 13,636 recorded their votes, which is a record for Auckland. The linal result was awaited by hundreds in tho streets, and great cheering greeted the result. Both candidates addressed the crowd, cheers and counter-cheers being given. Mr. Parr said the fight had not been against Labour. "The tight," he proceeded, "has been against revolutionary agitators who have caused the bitterness of this election. (Cheers and countercheers.) The result of this election, to my mind, if it means anything, means that you have told' 'these agitators in unmistakeable terms that they are not wanted in this country. The Labour conditions of New Zealand can always bo ameliorated by political action and peaceful methods." (Prolonged cheers.) LABOUR VICTORY IN CHRISTCHURCH MR. HOLLAND ELECTED. fIT TIStZaBAPH— PRESS ASSOCIATION.] CHRISTCHURCH, 24th April. The city Mayoral election resulted as follows :—

[BX TELEGRAPH— SPECIVt TO X£E TOST.) CHRISTCHUiRCH, Thte Day. The 1 easy victory of Mr. H. Holland in the Mayoral contest was to a large extent a -win for Labour. Mr. Holland would have been the nominee of tho Labour Representation Committee but for a. email difference of opinion, and ho had the unofficial support of the workers' organisations. He vras opposed vigorously by the local Municipal , Association, which has come to be regarded as an offshoot of the "lie form Party." The aaeociatiou and the local Opposition journal supported Mr. J. G. Dougall, who finished at the bottom of the poll, some two thousand votes behind. Mr. Holland. The new Mayor is 'a. successful business man, with decidedly Radical leanings.

s ~ -s ffl S3 ta 1^ Island Bay ..,, *. 35 72 24 28 Century- llall ... 144 286 129 110 Victoria Hall ... 54 236 42 80 St. Thomas's Schoolroom 153 427 100 199 Druids' Hall ... 129 408 160 82 Maesonio Hall, Ado-laidc-road .. 49 125 16 49 Churchroom. Maranui 13 31 4 4 Kilbirnie Hall ... 99 127 26 44 Pavilion, Hataitai 61 85 33 35 Schoolroom, Rosoneath 13 39 9 12 St. Mark's Schoolroom 48 70 38 26 Social Hall, Wadcstown 25 58 9 7 Church ' Schoolroom, Tinakori-road ... 26 50 33 14 Kearney's Tearooms, Tinakori-road ... 16 56 17 12 Churchroom, Northland 16 41 27 13 Churchroom, Kelburne .„ ... 26 14 11 23 Churohroom, Arostreet 15 106 18 16 Baptist Schoolroom, Brooklyn ... • ... 58 182 51 109 Newtovm Library ... 55 160 56 98 Alexandra Hall ... 80 175 109 94 Itechabite. Hall ... 142 318 153 87 Turnbull's Rooms ... 290 149 139 65 Harcourt's Booms ... 442 242 191 93 Sydney-st Schoolroom 293 303 .142. 142 89 Town Hall r. t ... 352 495 370 168

Mr. H. N. M'Leod ... 351 Mr.-H. E. Richard* „.' 331 Majority ... w 20 Thero were .'two vacancies t»v thi council, arid for these five candidate :ook the field, with tho following result Mr. H. A. Smith 365 Mr. A. Grigg 258 Mr. A. H. (Jriffiths ».. 231 ' • Mr. Peter Palmer ..« ... 228 Mr. J. G. Phillips ... 90

Vfr. Holland (Labour) . . #.. 4.12 1 Dr. Thacker 2,93: r. G. Dougall (retiring Mayor)... 2,63' For vacancy on council : H. J. Otle; .663, R. Hoppy, (Labour) 965, (Jeorgi