MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 May 1941, Page 2

MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

GREYMOUTH CANDIDATES

CONTEST FOR MAYORALTY

Nominations for the Greymouth | Mayoralty, Greymouth Borough | Council, and Borough representatives on the Grey Hospital Board, Grey Power Board, and Grey Harbour Board, closed at noon to-day. There will be contests in each case, polling day being scheduled for Saturday, May 17. I There are two candidates for the Mayoralty, 14 for nine seats on the| Borough Council, eight -for five seats j on the Hospital Board, seven for four i seats on the Power Board, and three j lor two seats on the Harbour Board, j The present Mayor, Mr F. A. | Kitchingham, who was elected three | years ago, is being opposed by Mr; F. L. Turley, secretary of the West- | land Timber Workers’ Union. ; Candidates for re-election to the Borough Council'are Messrs H. Herring (present Deputy-Mayor), F. F. Boustridge, G. R. Harker, J. B. Kent, A. H. McKane, C. Neville, and J. Saunders. Those not again standing rare Messrs J. R. Anderson (owing to ill-health), and R. J. Williams. New aspirants for office are Messrs P. Blanchfield, junr. (an ex-member), T. Caldwell, T. W. Flannagan, J. Harrison, J. E. Stokes, G. M. Truman, and F. Williams. Candidates again standing for the Hospital Board are Messrs Kent, J. F. Laing, A. H. McKane, and A. Mosley. Mr O. C. Joyce is not seeking re-election. New candidates are: Mrs A. B. Broad (a daughter of Mr J. Smeaton, Mayor of Brunner, and a member of the Board), Messrs T. P. Ryan, J. E. Stokes,, and F. Williams. Present members of the Power Board again standing are Messrs Kent, A. M. Carroll, W. H. Parfitt, and A. H. McKane, while new candidates are Messrs P. Blanchfield, jun., E. Hillman, and W. E. Pring. For the two vacancies on the Harbour Board, Mr Kent is seeking reelection, but Mr P. J. McLean has retired. New candidates are Messrs Hillman and Pring. RIVAL “TICKETS.” The rival “tickets” for whom electors will be asked to vote are as follow: — Citizens’ Committee: Mayoralty, Mr Kitchingham. Borough Council, Messrs Boustridge, Harker, Herring, Neville, Saunders, and Truman. Hos-„ pital Board, Messrs Mosley, Laing, and Ryan. Power Board, Messrs Carroll and Pring. Harbour Board, Mr Pring. Labour Representation Committee: Mayoralty, not contested. Borough Council, Messrs Blanchfield, McKane, Kent, Stokes, Williams, Caldwell, Harrson, and Flannagan. Hospital Board, Messrs Kent, McKane, Stokes, Williams, and Hillman. Power Board, Messrs Kent, Blanchfield, McKane, and Hillman. Harbour Board, Messrs Kent and Hillman. Following are the nominations, in alphabetical order, sitting members being indicated by an asterisk: MAYORALTY. “FREDERICK ARTHUR KITCHINGHAM, nominated by William McKay, Thomas Eldon Coates, and Michael Joseph Fogarty. FREDERICK LOVELL TURLEY, nominated by David William Morgan and Michael Minehan. BOROUGH COUNCIL. (Nine required.)

PATRICK BLANCHFIELD, junr., nominated by John Deere, Francis Eric Stent, and Hugh Higgins. ’"FRANCIS FREDERICK BOUSTRIDGE, nominated by John Henry Hayton and Alfred William Harrison. THOMAS CALDWELL, nominated by J. B. Kent and F. Williams. THOMAS WILLIAM FLANNAGAN, nominated by James Goodall and Thomas Caldwell. '"GEORGE RALPH HARKER, nominated by Michael J. Fogarty and A. E. Kilgour. JAMES HARRISON, nominated by Charles James Dewar, Patrick James Dwyer, and D. M. Rathbun. -HYDE HERRING, nominated by John Tennent and John Webber Greenslade. * JAMES BEGG KENT, nominated by Oliver McLean and John Deere. -ALBERT HENRY McKANE, nominated by . Silas Martin and Ann Martin. -CYRIL NEVILLE, nominated by Frank Benjamin Lawn and William Henry Parfitt. -JOHN SAUNDERS, nominated by William E. Reynolds and Thomas Eldon Coates. JAMES EDWARD STOKES, nominated by Andrew Grogan and William Gieseking. GILBERT MARK TRUMAN, nominated by Percival .Sidney Beck and John Webber Greenslade. FREDERICK WILLIAMS, nominated James Goodall and J. B. Kent. HOSPITAL BOARD. (Five required.) ADA BESS BROAD, nominated by Eliza Rose Pound and Anne Stew- * JAMES BEGG KENT, nominated by Oliver McLean and John Deere. '"JOHN FRANCIS LAING, nominated by F. Congreve and G. F. Shallcrass. '"ALBERT HENRY McKANE, nominated by Silas Martin and Ann Martin. *ALEXANDER MOSLEY, nominated by John McGirr and Hyde j Herring. • THOMAS P. RYAN, nominated by John . Webber Greenslade and Thomas Eldon Coates. JAMES EDWARD STOKES, nominated by Hyde Flerring and Edward Paul Higgins. FREDERICK. WILLIAMS, nominated by James Goodall and J. B. Kent. GREY POWER BOARD. (Four required.) PATRICK BLANCHFIELD, junr, nominated by John Beban and William Robertson. -ANDREW MICHAEL CARROLL, nominated by M. J. Fogarty and William Greenhill. EDMUND HILLMAN, nominated by Leslie Walker Stanton and Vander Albert Lee. '"JAMES BEGG KENT, nominated by ! Oliver McLean and John Deere.

* ALBERT HENRY McKANE, nominated by Silas Martin and Ann Martin. WILLIAM HENRY PARFITT, nominated by Henry Charles Jackson and Thomas Eldon Coates. WILLIAM EDWARD PRING, mated by Alfred Ernest Kilgour and John Tennent.

GREYMOUTH HARBOUR BOARD. (Two required.)

EDMUND HILLMAN, nominated by Thomas Anderson and Henry Ashurst. “JAMES BEGG KENT, nominated by Oliver McLean and John Deere. WILLIAM EDWARD PRING. nominated by Alfred Ernest Kilgour and John Tennent. RUNANGA CHANGES LACK OF CANDIDATES There will be sweeping changes in the Runanga Borough Council, when nominations close on Wednesday next. The Mayor, Mr. R. McTaggart, will not be a candidate for either the Mayoralty or the Hospital Board, and Councillors F. Oakley, Y. Rutherford, and J. McTigue have definitely decided not to stand. Of the remainder of the present Council, Mr. E. Kennedy will be a candidate for the Mayoralty, Mr. S. W; Morris is as yet undecided, and Mr. G. English has not stated his .intentions. . . The Mayor and all of the retiring Councillors have seen many years’ service on the Council, and their retirement will necessitate a number of members new to local body administration. At present insufficient names have been mentioned to fill all the vacant seats, but those who will definitely stand are Mrs. W. Wright, a member of the State School committee, the Women’s Guild and Mothers’ Union, and Mr. W. Williams, a young man, employed by the Co-operative Society, and a member of the Runanga Debating Club. No other names have been mentioned, although it is possible that Mr. S. Morris will again be a candidate, and that Mr. G. E. English, President of the State Miners Union, and possibly other nominees from the Union will be candidates. Mr. E. Kennedy, who is a candidate for the Mayoralty, and at present the only candidate in the field, has been a member of the Council for several terms. He is President of the local Patriotic society. A member of the present Council Mr. F. Oakley will be a candidate for the Runanga seat on the Hospital Board. Mr. Oakley is President ol the Runanga Medical Association, a member of the School Committee and President of the Runanga Branch of the Red Cross Society. Mr. J. T. L. McPhee will also be a candidate for the Hospital Board. He is Secretary of the State Collieries Accident Fund Society and is prominent in friendly society affairs. Mr. J. Unwin, present chairman of the Power Board, will again be a candidate for the Runanga seat on the Board. Runanga and Brunner share one seat on the Harbour Board, and it is understood that the only nominee will be Mr. J. Smeaton, Mayor of Brunner. RETIREMENT OF MR. McTAGGART Asked for his reasons for retiring from local politics, the present Mayor, Mr. R. McTaggart, said that he had given the best years of his life to civic affairs, and he felt it was time he had a spell. He has sat at the council table continuously for 21, years, the last, fifteen as Mayor. He stated that prior to his first appointment, he had been deputy Mayor, when the Mayor of the day, Mr. W. S Clark left the district, and he automatically took over the position, and had carried on. When he joined the Council 21 years lago, the affairs of the Borough were on a very small scale. They did not even own a wheel barrow, nor have offices of their own. The population at that time was about 1,200 and to-day it was about 2,000. He had seen the j Borough develop and to-day the CounI cil was well equipped, owning a motor I lorry grader-tractor and truck, con- | crete mixer, power mower, stone crusher and pipe moulds. The pipe moulds had been of inestimable benefit in providing concrete pipes cheaply for laying permanent drains, and the old boxed drains had been largely done away with. Achievements of the Council during his association as Mayor included the water supply system, one of the chief reasons why She had carried on as Mayor. In addition as chairman of the Domain Board he had seen it develop from a swampy, half bush wilderness to an excellent playing area, with two football fields, complete with players’ pavilion and shower facilities, and 25 acres of cleared land ready for grass, to be laid out as a 9-hole golf course. The Kotare Domain too, had been developed. Some £l6O had been raised a few years ago, and with the provision of swings, slides etc., a fine children’s play area was established. The Council assisted in the laying down of the present tennis courts, and in many other civic facilities.

“I feel that I have earned a rest,” said Mr. McTaggart. “I have given the best years of my life to Runanga. In addition to being Mayor, I have been a member of the Hospital Board for about 14 years; President of the Golf club, and have been associated with the Boxing Club, Athletic Club, Medical Society, Co-operative Society, old Horticultural Society, School committee, Miners’ Union, the Home Guard, and the Evacuation committee. On the Council I served with every Mayor, the late Mr. H. Coppersmith, Mr. J. F. Pattinson and Mr. W. S. Clark, and have been associated with each succeeding Town Clerk. LITTLE CHANGE AT BRUNNER. No election will be necessary for the Brunner Borough, the required number of candidates being nominated for each position. The present Mayor, Mr. John Smeaton, has been re-elected unopposed, and he has also been re-elected to the seat on the Hospital Board and the Power Board. One of the present councillors, Mr. C. Buckman, has s retired for health reasons, and his place has been taken by Mr. George Smith, of Dobson. The sitting councillors re-elected are: Messrs W. Barber, G.H.S. Eder, W.

Gutberlet, Thomas Harper and T. W. Morgan. KUMARA. Nominations received were:— Mayor: A. B. Spiers. Borough Council: G. Hunt, F. Wise, R. Little, G. Elley, R. May, E. Fensom, J. Murphy, B. Becker, W. Lawrence, S: Rodgers, W. McNabb. HOKITIKA NOMINATIONS. no elections necessary Nominations closed at noon on Saturday for the Hokitika Borough Council, Westland Hospital Board, Hokitika Harbour Board, and Greymouth Harbour Board. In no case did the nominations exceed the number required, and no elections wilt be necessary. For the mayoralty, Mr. George Albert Perry was elected unopposed. Mr Perry was first elected Mayor on April 26, 1911, and has held office continuously since, probably a record for New Zealand. The following nine men were nominated for the council: Messrs C. Caliari, T. W. Duff, A. R. Elcock, J. Fox, S. G. Havill, E. W. Heenan, G. Heinz, W. H. A. Stopforth, and D. P. Stuart. Three nominations for the’Westland Hospital Board were: Messrs D. F. E. Freitas, J. Fox, G.‘Heinz. Three nominations for the Hokitika Harbour Board: Messrs D. F. E. Freitas, H. C. Harvey, H. W. G. Park. One member for Greymouth Harbour Board: Mr. E. W. Heenan. WESTLAND COUNTY HOKITIKA, May 5. Westland County nominations are: Northern Riding: T. N. Bond, R. JBradley, J. A. Murdoch (two required). B. Ward retires. Central Riding: N. Harris, W. A. Jamieson, T. P. O’Neil (three members). Mr. Harris replaces Mr. A. Dale. Southern Riding: J. Donovan, P. J. McLean, G. Rowley, W. Searle (four members). Westland Hospital Board: Messrs T. W. Duff, A. R. Elcock, E. W. Heenan, W. A. Jamieson, J. A. Murdoch, T. P. O’Neil. Grey Harbour Board: J. A. Murdoch. Hokitika Harbour Board: E. W. Heenan, M. H. Houston. The only contest will be for the Northern Riding in the County. BULLER. WESTPORT, May 3. Nominations for the municipal elections in the Buller County closed to-day with the returning officer (Mr C. F. Schadick). Those received are: Buller County Council: Wareatea South Riding, D. J. D. Archer; Charleston Riding, John Henry Powell; Lyell Riding, V. T. E. Dellavedova; Wareatea Riding, E. L. Roberts; Waimangaroa Riding, James Ward; Millerton Riding, Hon. W. H. Mclntyre, M.L.C.; Karamea Riding, W. R. Simpson; Ngakawau Riding, John Dowgray and Ivor L. Tyler; Mokihinui Riding, James G. Jordan, S. R. Johnston, and J. N. Niven. There are only two ridings, Ngakawau and Mokihinui, to be contested, and in the seven other ridings the seven sitting members retain their seats. Hospital Board: Hon. W. H. Mclntyre, M.L.C., W. R. Simpsgn, James Ward, John Dowgray, John Noble Niven, S. R. Johnston, and Mrs Olwen Tyler. WELLINGTON. WELLINGTON, May 3. There are two candidates for the Wellington mayoralty, the sitting ■Mayor, Mr T. C. A. Hislop, and Mr R. McKean, Labour. For the 15 seats on the City Council, each ticket will present 15 candidates, and besides these there are three Communists and five independents. The total number of candidates last time was 32. For the Hospital Board the Citizens’ Association and Labour also present full tickets of 13, and the Communist and independent nominations make a total of 28, the same as i'last time. For the four seats on the Harbour Board there are four Citizens, four Labour, and one independent candidate, making nine candidates against eight last time.