THE MAYORALTY

Evening Star, Issue 22955, 12 May 1938, Page 11

THE MAYORALTY

WON ALL THE WAY The first return received by the returning officer (Mr R. A. Johnston) was from Bunting’s Store, Halfway Bush. This came in at 7.23 p.m., and showed' 119 votes in favour or Mr Cox and 105 for Mr Allen. The sitting mayor thus obtained a slight advantage when the barrier was lifted, so to speak; but two minutes later a return from the booth at the Public Hospital nullified this and placed Mr Allen in the lead by 67 votes. _ From that point the challenger kept his lead, though it fluctuated at times, and before half the returns were in it was fairly obvious that Mr Cox would be defeated. At half-past 7 the figures from the booth at Kaikorai Valley road were in his favour to the extent of 90 votes, but when, five minutes later, those from the Salvation Army Hall at Highgate came along, Mr Allen’s majority swelled considerably. The trend continued in the same, direction as each return came, some big figures being recorded from the Burns Hall. Knox Church, Roslyn, and Maori Hill. At 8 o’clock, with 23 returns inland 11 to come, Mr Allen’s majority stood at well over 3,000; but those from South Dunedin Town Hall, a district looked upon as a Cox stronghold, were yet to be received. They came, and showed a fairly strong preference for the Labour candidate, though the majority was less than that anticipated, being one of 440 in a total of 2,246. From that point Mr Cox gained majorities at four south end booths, but finished in a minority of 4,163, thus being obliged to vacate office after five years in the mayoral chair. The last result, that from the Carisbrook Ground, arrived shortly after 8.30 p.m. To most people the result was a surprise. not so much perhaps because of Mr* Allen’s victory, but because that victory was of such a pronounced character. An analysis of the' voting showed that Mr Allen gained majorities at 23 of the 32 booths, the districts favouring Mr Cox beino; mainly in the south end, though Leith street, Woodhaugh, and one or two of the hill districts also voted in his favour. The city booths returned figures strongly in favour of Mr Allen,