SIGNIFICANT ISSUES IN CHRISTCHURCH

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 99, 26 April 1917, Page 3

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES IN CHRISTCHURCH

ANTI-CONSCRIPTIONISTS DEFEATED (IT TILIGRAPa.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.) CHRISTCHURCH, 2Sth April. To-day's municipal elections were lifted right out of the commonplace by two very significant issues in the election of a Mayor and city councillors. The Labour "ticket" had thrown down the gage of anti-conscription, and the Citizens' Association had accepted the challenge, | nominating man for man in the struggle. I The election, therefore, was a trial of 1 strength between the anti-conscriptionists and the win-the-war party. The election also created wide interest as being a bold experiment in proI portional representation. Christchurch is the first city in New Zealand to adopt i that system of voting. Polling to-day is very heavy, and it will be some days, ' possibly a fortnight, before the final rei suits of the City Council election are known. Later. For the Mayoralty of Christchurch, Mr. H. Holland, the retiring Mayor,, inflicted a crushing defeat upon Mr. J. M'Combs, M.P., who stood as an anticonscriptionist. There was a very heavy poll, the voting being :— Holland 12,177 . M'Combs 5,381 Majority for Hollad 6,796 In the City Council election, J. W. Beanland (Citizens' Association, A. S. Taylor (Citizens' Association), and, D. G Sullivan (Labour) secured the' required quota. H. G. Ell, M.P. (Independent Conscriptionist),' J. A. Flesher (Citizens' Association), F. Burgoyne (Labour), W. Nicholls (Citizens' Association), J. R. Hayward (Citizens' Association), and E. J. Howard (Labour) are next in ord.er in the first preference vote. The Labour men were standing as anticonscriptionists. The result of the contest for the Mayoralty of Woolston was that Mr. M'Gregor Wright (conscriptionist), at one time a prominent citizen. of Wellington, defeated Mr. C. Hill (anti-con-scriptionist and Labour) by 659 to 303. The Lyttelton Mayoralty resulted in Mr. W.-T. Lester 691, Mr. Foster 401. Rangiora Mayoralty—Jennings/, 594, Banks 205. • ' Mr J. J. Dougall was defeated for a scat on the Lyttelton Harbour Board.