CHRISTCHURCH IS PUZZLED

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 108, 9 May 1935, Page 14

CHRISTCHURCH IS PUZZLED

(By Telegraph.) (Special to the "Evening Post.")

CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Christchurch, a city with the reputation of being a I«bour stronghold, awoke this morning to find that as a result of a record poll it had turned out a Labour Council and returned a s council consisting of twelve Citizens' candidates and only four Labour members, one of whom is a new member. Three Labour members were unseated, also Mr. A. E. Armstrong (Independent, Labour) and Dr. Thacker (Independent).

In view of the fact that Auckland and Dunedin returned Labour councils, Christchurch is somewhat puzzled at' the result of the poll, especially as the city re-elected Mr. Sullivan, the Labour Mayor. Mr* Sullivan was opposed by Sir Hugh Acland, one of the most popular of the Citizens' candidates, who ran him very close with 19,220 votes against 19,798.

INTENSIVE ORGANISATION.

Unquestionably the Citizens' victory and the huge vote accorded Sir Hugh were owing a large measure to newspaper advertising and intensive organisation. The Citizens' organisation did everything conceivable to secure victory. An interesting sidelight on the elections is that two Citizens' candidates, Messrs. Beanland and Lyons, each received over 20,000 votes, which was more than the number cast individually for Sir Hugh Acland or Mr. Sullivan.

There are seven.new members on the City Council, six of whom are Citizens and the others Labour. Thus the council has no independent and no women members. Mrs. McCombs did not stand, and Miss Howard was defeated.

Among the defeated retiring Labour

candidates is Mr. J. Mathison, who was president of the Tramway Union during the strike in May, 1932, and who was later elected to the Tramway Board, which is almost wholly Labour.

DRAMATIC INTEREST.

The crowd that awaited the election returns was probably the largest that ever turned out for a municipal election in Christchurch. The night was unique for the dramatic interest which it held for the crowd. The lead established by Sir Hugh Acland after the first few returns had been received, a lead often to be re-establised as the fortunes of the pair alternated during the count, provided an atmosphere of uncertainty that kept partisans from any outward expression of sentiment and there was presented the unusual spectacle of a huge crowd too keyed up to do other than eagerly scan the figures. The people were amazed by the size of the poll and they felt-the dramatic force of the fact that here was presented the outcome of a battle in which all the resources of the parties had been drawn on •to the utmost.