THE MUNICIPAL POLLS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 14981, 29 April 1909, Page 6

THE MUNICIPAL POLLS.

Yesterday's eloctions produced no great surprises. Mr Allison was returned as Mayor of for a second term by a larger majority than was expected and by a much more substantial vote than he secured last year. His opponent, Mr Loughnan, who has done excellent work on the Gity Council for a number of years, is just a little too modest for a municipal politician, and' probably he was unknown to many of the electors who went to the poll merely to vote on the halfholiday question. The old members of the City Council who sought re-election had no difficulty in retaining their seats, and Dr Thacker and Mr Dongall were returned to the places vacated by Mr Loughnan and Mr J. D. Hall. The Labour candidates, with the exception of Mr Hart at Sydenham, were poorly supported, and we think they, too, must have suffered from their names being unfamiliar to the majority of the holiday voters. The new Council promises to bo safe rather than progressive, and with such a marked expression of public confidence, Mr Allison will be able to claim that his conservative policy is approved. In the suburban boroughs there were moro striking changes. Sumner was less revolutionary than usual, re-electing two or three of its old councillors after its Mayor had been returned unopposed}, but Woolston made practically a clean sweep of its old Council and even deposed Mr Richardson from tho chair. Lyttelton signified its appreciation of the services of its former Mayor and councillors. Among the outside municipalities there were close, contests in Wellington and Dunedin for the mayoralty. In the capital city Dr Newman was elected by a narrow majority over Mr Wilford to succeed the Hon. T. W. Hislop, and in Dunedin Mr Walker secured an unexpected victory over Mr M'Donald,' the former Mayor, by forty votes. The advocates of the Saturday half-holiday were beaten everywhere. In Christchurch, Thursday was carried by a majority of 2400 votes, and tho verdict in favour of tho established day appears to have been equally emphatic in other places. The most satisfactory feature of the Christchurch poll is the evidence it boars of increased interest in local politics. Last year only 2636 votes were recorded at the mayoral election, whilo this year 8742 were recorded. There wore still some 8350 voters on the roll

who did not go to the pq!J, but the increased activity of the electors is most encouraging. If it -was due to the introduction of the half-holiday question the shop assistants may be foTgiven tho fright they gave their employers.