Evening Post. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1921. A MAYORAL CHALLENGE VERDICT

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 150, 22 December 1921, Page 6

Evening Post. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1921. A MAYORAL CHALLENGE VERDICT

If the Mayoral election at Lower Hutt had resulted in the return not of -Mr. Strand but of the challenger; Mr. Rishworth, we would have hesitated to regard Mr. Rishworth's success as an unequivocal indorsement of the principle of establishing a second gasworks. No doubt his success would have been interpreted in that sense by his own party, after the fashion of winning sides; but The Post would have declined to translate a Rishworth verdict into a gasworks verdict for several reasons,, among them being the personal element that entered into the contest. In personality, personal appeal, and experience in public affairs, the balance of advantage, it is admitted, rested with Mr. Rishworth. Threatening correspondence and other events had gained him sympathy, and'it was feared that the election "would be won on a sympathy^ vote for Mr. Rishworth and not on the pure policy issue; in which case the. result would not have been fairly and squarely a gasworks verdict. But the election of Mr. Strand by a majority over his challenger of more than 350 votes—a result that surprises many observers —proves that the electors, notwithstanding that the personal element was rather in favour of the second gasworks champion, have been too clearly impressed by policy requirements to allow their choice to, be dictated by other considerations. A Strand win is a verdict against gasworks duplication, for the very reasons that would have negated the view that a Rishworth win1 is necessarily a verdict in support of such duplication. We do not think that any fair-minded person can doubt that yesterday's vote has, for the time being, put an end to the second gasworks idea—provided, ,of course, that the Petone Borough Council continues to show the spirit of reasonableness manifest in its recent attitude.

Now, as to amalgamation of Lower Hutt and Petone: the late pro-gasworks campaign in Lower Hutt seems to us to have been necessarily an anti-amalgamation movement. It certainly would have created a new barrier to amalgamation (and even to co-operation), and it seems to be fair to say that

the pro-gasworks party was generally in line with the anti-amalgama-tion party. To apply the converse, and to say that the anti-gasworks voters at Lower Hutt yesterday are necessarily amalgamationists, would perhaps not be warranted. But the co-operationists and amalgamationists of the Hutt Valley are certainly helped by the decisive defeat of the anti-amalgamation project of establishing a second gasworks, and are entitled to draw encouragement therefrom, to deduce that their voting strength is greater than they thought, and to adopt a bolder attitude. A bolder attitude, however, is not a needlessly aggressive or provocative attitude. We are certain that amalgamation will come, but think that it may come quicker if conciliatory worlc is carried on, in the meantime, on a basis of co-operation. Co-operation would inevitably lead to amalgamation, and might be the quickest roacj to that achievement. To-day the first step is to bury the hatchet, reach a co-operative basis, and ascertain whether-, the common ground is so great \as to warrant unity. The anti-gasworks vote, won notwithstanding Mr. Rishworth's mana, is an occasion for encouragements We are glad that the electors gave a policy rather than a personal vote, and are as sorry to see Mr. Rishworth down as we are glad to see Mr. Strand up. Both gentlemen are well able to take the ley/d in Lower Hutt—and we say this advisedly, notwithstanding Mr. Strand's apparent diffidence on the p/oint—a diffidence due merely to personal modesty. We hope that Mr. Rishworth will not be lost to .public life.

The Jinie has come to drop all personalities, and to take a Hutt Valley view rather than a view based on Lower Hutt or based on Petone. Hard knocks should be forgotten, and conciliatory advances made during the heat of combat, as by the Petone Borough Council, should be remembered. An 'electorate which has sufficient horse sense to give a, policy vote, at a time when personal issues are wfloftt, Is good material to work onAll it needs in good leadership.