QUEEN OF THE CARNIVAL MISS DOUGHTY WINS EXCITEMENT AT THE FINISH

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 151, 28 June 1915, Page 3

QUEEN OF THE CARNIVAL MISS DOUGHTY WINS EXCITEMENT AT THE FINISH

TRENTHAM'S GREAT FIGHT Amid scenes of great excitement, the fight for. aovereignty in the Wellington Carnival terminated on Saturday night, and Miss K. Doughty, tho Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen's candidate, was announced the winner. The statement of the position of the candidates is as follows : — Votes. Value. 1. Miss K. Doughty (No. 8), Commercial Travellers, Central Club, aud Warehousemen * 1,753,251 £14,616-8 6 2. Miss Doris M'Cormack (No. 15), Trent' ham Boys ... 1,703,475- 14,195 12 6 3. Miss A. M< Senior (No. 14), Petone and Lower Hutt 986,919 8,224 6 6 4. Miss M'Kegg (No. 11), Manawatu ... 589,614 , 4,913 9 9 . 5. Miss A, M. Palmer (No. 13), Public , . Service 585,478 4,878 19 8 6. Miss Low (No. 2), Combined Drapers ... 579,793 4,831 12 2 7. Dr. Platts=Mills (No. 10), Tramway Boys 557,612 4,646 15 ' 4 8. Mrs. Aljjar Williams (No. 1), St. John Ambulance '. 295,540 2,462 16 8 9. Miss Teresa M'Enroe (No. 7), West Coasters 260,135 2.1G7 19 2 ' ' 10. Nurse Everltt (No. 9), Combined Sports 169,430 1,441 18 4 11. Mrs. A. M'Vlcar (No. 6), Highland Society ... '... 39,G15 339 - 2 6 12. Mrs. S. Hempton (No. 5), Residents of Te Aro ... 34,563 288 9 6 13. Miss Jessie Lewis (No. 4), Young Boys' Society 30,206 251 14 4 14. Miss M. £. Roselngrave (No. 12), Trades ,and Labour Council ' 29,155 242 19 2 15. Mrs. W. H. Smith (No. 3), Forget-Me-Not Branch of Overseas Club ... 24,211 201 15 2 Totals ■...,, -.., >.. ... 7,639,017 £63.658 9 6

The final count of votes commenced fc 1 p.m., and was continued under the irection of the returning officer, Mr. 3. J. Colley, and his deputy, Mr. L T. Wells, until after 9 p.m. After hat hour there was cash to be credited, nd scrip to be issued for cheques and ash. Finally, votes representing the ash and cheques had to be added to the revious totals. At 10.15 p.m. the Teuraing officer was in a position to state be names of the three leading candiates, but it was about four hours after'ards before he and his assistants had ampleted the final count. TWOPENNY TICKETS IN THOUSANDS. When it is seen that the number of oteg polled was over seven and a-half lillions it will be recognised that the officer's task was no light one. If course, a very great part of this ate was represented by scrip, the task £ dealing with which was comparatively tmple; but the little twopenny tickets 'ere not neglected. When the Carnival ommenced they were quite popular, and n one night the returning officer's taff had to count a bag and a-half of bem — work for four hours for about dozen men. Then voting tickets were aperseded by raffles, and the nightly ollection of tickets fell to a third of a ag. On the last day it appeared that, lany committees, and individuals, had een baying tickets and holding them gainst the final count. Some of the ittle slips, by ' their appearance, had ieen held a very long time. Four bags — • >ig military kit bags — were collected, in .ddition to the votes that came in in lallot boxes removed from shops which losed ai midday, Mr. Wells soon had us staff very busy, and new helpers oming in, till at one time there were ,bout thirty men diligently sorting and ounting the votes. No time was lost, mfc it was 9 o'clock before tho last slip vas out of the way. " What if someone vanta a recount?" asked one of the :lerks. "They'll have to put up a hoasarid at least for it," said the deputy otnrning officer. "It would take six nen three weeks to count all those votes .gain." ' CASH AND SCKIP. Neither was that all the work. Colection boxes were_ still in the street, aid continually being * brought in, also ash from committee rooms. This cash lad to be counted, and received by the reasurer (Mr. James M'lntosh), who vas never flurried, but calmly issued crip all the afternoon. A little girl mild walk in with a box "For Miss ] x>w, please." The box had to be up- 1 crewed, the cash counted, and scrip ssued. Then a man would walk in, '£20 here for the Trentham girl; ifteen minutes' collection at a 'smok>r.'" ' ' Two experienced bank clerks, nth amateur but willing assistants veie constantly engaged making little ules of pennies and silver coins. Almost t sackful of cash, mostly small change, *as handled in the afternoon. There sag a little bad coin, a brass washer, l piece of tin with a hole in it, a halfpenny that had mci with a very severe Kxident — a fatal accident, said the bank :lerk 5 and, most curious of all, a Gernan five-pfenqig piece. P.ROGRESS OF THE POLL— BIG CHEQUES. All the money went for votes, and $ ihejjekets counted in..tha_total.-,bafc

it was the big cheques that 'really decided the contest. The first announcement of position was made at 3 p.m., when Miss M'Cormack led, with Miss Senior second. Some money came in from the Hutt, and a quiet emissary from the Commercial Travellers walked up to the treasurer's counter. Then, at 3.30 p.m., Miss Senior was announced in the lead, with Miss M'Cormack second. The Commercial Travellers'- nominee, Miss Doughty, had jumped up from sixth to third place. - At 4.45 p.m. Miss M'pormack had again displaced Miss Senior. After that there was very little change. Crowds in_ front of the Evening Post office waited to see the effect of a big 1 cheque which,' so .it was reported, the Commercial Travellers were going to put in. But no cheque was put in by the Travellers or any other committee in person to alter tho positions. They were all lying low. • WHEN THE CLOCK STRUCK. At 8 o'clock the excitement became more intense. Various people came in with envelopes to deposit in the ballotbox placed for sealed cheques. The energetic secretary of the Tramway Boys made his first appearance just before 9, and expressed the opinion that Dr. Platts -Mills would do fairly well, anyway. The Commercial Travellers' cashier came in at 8.50 and said nothing. At 8.50 the Chairman, Mr. H. G. Hill, 1 warned all candidates' committees that the ballot would close punctually. The telephone was ringing, a long-distance call it was said. " Wairarapa. ringing about a cheque for Trentham," speculated someone. Outside a band was playing as it had been all the evening, "The Harp That Once," " Men of Harlech," " God Bless the Prince of Wales," and when " Tipperary " was started everybody in the room joined in. Only the officials were calm and collected. Promptly at 9 the doors were closed, the /Boy Scout guards being replaced by men. A belated, collector sought to bring in a box, but was told that it , was too late. Then the ballot-box "was opened and the Chairman announced the amounts of the cheques as the scrutineers passed them. They i were : Public Service, £56V } Commercial Travellers, £500, £2500, another £2500, and yet another; Trentham girl, a cheque for £100 and a draft for £5077 ; Miss Senior, , £422, £490 10s, and £48 lls 7d'; Mrs. Algar Williams, £302, £13, £30; Miss Senior, £76 15s 7d; Dr. Jc'latts-Mills, £1000 and £2500; Miss Senior, £35 12s 6d; and Miss M'Enroe, £775. Coin had still to be counted and votes ' for scrip added, while enquiries camo from the Town Hall as to when tho • result would be ready. At 10.15, the ; little group of officials left the building ' by a side door, and walked down tho 1 muddy Chews-lane towards the Town [ Hall, the crowd outside quickly falling \ in behind. Over a thousand people yet remained in or' around the Hall, and | they cheered as the officials walked on | the stage. Cheers were renewed when '. Mr. Colley announced, "The? -winner of ' t the Queen Carnival is Miss Doughty; \ Miss M'Cormack is second — '(renewed cheers)— and Miss Senior third." (More . applause). The chairman (Mr. Hill) and 5 the secretary (Mr. J. Lewis) mad© brief : speeches thanking the public for their . interest in the Carnival; congratulating the winners, and giving praise to those who had fought hard also, though not with the same success. ' Cheers were given for the winner and for the loeers. [ Mr._ Manton, the Commercial Travellers' i chairman, _was asked to xaLurn fcha-nV-t.

but Mr. Manton had gone — " Off to the club," said someone, and the meeting concluded with the National Anthem, while the officials returned to a renewal