ZION CITY’S MAYOR

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 23 April 1935, Page 10

ZION CITY’S MAYOR

DEFEAT AFTER 23 YEARS. “BLUE” LAWS ONCE MORE. NEW YORK, April 3. Wilbur Glenn Veliva, who has long been predicting a bad end for the world in the year 1940, revised the date to April, 1935, when he looked over the returns of the Zion City elections, which were held to-day. Sir Voliva was defeated after 23 years’ dictatorship. “I have no comment,” he said, but he added as an afterthought: “You might add that I still know that the world is flat, also that it is pretty'topsy-turvy.” The overjoyed supporters of William Edwards, the rebel candidate for the Mayoralty, saw in their victory a judgment against Mr Voliva for his wanderings from the narrow paths of righteousness, as defined by John Alexander Dowie, the prophet who founded Zion and established its Socialist industries. They say they intend to restore and enforce the “blue” laws which Mr Voliva lias annulled by non-enforcement.

Cigarette smoking, dancing and oyster eating will be cardinal sins again, punishable by fine- and imprisonment. “We clo not call Jliem ‘blue laws,” Mr Edwards explains, “but we do believe them essentia], to salvation. We intend to protect- our young people from temptation and correct those who stray.” Mr Voliva’s downfall was predicted a year ago, when the 10,000,000-dollar Zion City industries, which at one time showed IGQO dollars daily profit, began to totter financially. Bondholders alleged that the funds of the corporation had mysteriously disappeared and demanded an accounting. Mr Voliva refused. To-day the huge industry is in the hands of a Federal Court receiver.