LORD MAYOR SNUBBED

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 9, 21 December 1933, Page 11

LORD MAYOR SNUBBED

SYDNEY ELECTION SCENE. A BATTLE OF WITS. it is likely that the New South. Wales Government will be asked to amend the Municipal Corporations Act so that Mayors will be elected by the ratepayers direct, as is clone in New Zealand. An agitation in this direction follows the amazing battle of tactics which preceded the election on Saturday of the new Lord Mayor of Sydney, Alderman A. L. Parker, a solicitor, who became the centre of a tense battle of wits and of intrigue. Not that this was anything unusual. Every year there has been an unseemly struggle for the honour, with the issue always in doubt and depending more or less on the attitude of Labour aldermen, and on aidermen who have not remained loyal to the pledge under which they were elected to office.

In Sydney’s municipal affairs the ruling authority is the so-called Reform Party, which, paradoxically, is not supposed to know any party. The Reform Party is in existence to keep Laboui out of control, and ever since ths days of the Commission it has succeeded in its object. All the same, the Reformers have been far from happy among themselves. For months they have been unable to rely on the support of Aiderman McElhono, When the time approached for the election ol the Lord Mayor it was seen that per sonal ambition was going to play a far more important part than party loyalty. An endeavour was made by the Reform Party to select a candidate in caucus, but an announcement by Alderman Parker tiiat' no matter what the caucus decided he would nominate in open council came as a bombshell. The upshot of it all was that no official nominee was selected.

With two Reform aidermen out of nine refusing to be bound by caucus tho position became complicated, and tho election developed into a battle of wits. The Reform aidermen concentrated on securing the election of a man whose loyalty to the party was undoubted. When the City Council met ou Saturday morning Alderman Parker, true fo his threat, nominated himself. For a time it appeared doubtful whether he would secure a seconder, and when the retiring Mayor was on the point of refusing his nomination a Labour alderman came to his rescue. Practically every other Reform alderman, and several of the Labour aidermen, were nominated in turn. Alder man Parker and Aiderman McElhonc voted with fellow-Reformers against, Labour nominees, until all were eliminated. They then joined Labour in defeating the Reform Party candidates. It so happened that Alderman Parker alone remained, and with the aid of Aiderman McElhone and the Labour aidermen he was duly elected.

Then followed a dramatic finalo. After he had declared Alderman Parker elected Aiderman Hagon, the retiring Lord Mayor, promptly left the chair so that the ordinary congratulations could not be extended to the new city chief. In short, the new Lord Mayor was snubbed. Not one Reform alderman shook the hand of Aiderman Parker, and he was not even invited to the Lord Mayor’s room. One aiderman, pointing to the door, said: “Why not go in.?” He went in, but almost immediately he walked out again. It is presumed that his fellow-Reformers, who had gathered there, gave him a cold reception. Aiderman Parker was content to address the Labour alderman who stayed behind. He said ho was determined to do his best for the city. He stated subsequently that tho indignity which he had been called upon to bear meant nothing to him. Alderman. Hagon subsequently explained that he left the chair suddenly, after the election had been announced, because ho did not want a scene. If we had permitted speeches it is certain that there would have been some hard words, .and ho was anxious to avoid that. He had no personal animus. After the election he spoke to his fellow-aldermen and impressed upon them the necessity of upholding the dignity of tho city. They would have to support the new Lord Mayor. The president of the Citizens’ Reform Association said: “For tho last two months the atmosphere has been full of rumours and forecasts about the election. Practically this is an annual occurrence. Even among Reform aldermen there are factions and partisanship. The tendency js to cause division in the ranks of men who have been put into the council for singleminded administration of the city’s affairs. Many among us consider that the only solution is the election of the Lord Mayor straight out by the people. Representations have been made to the Minister for legislation in this direction, ’ ’