POLLING DAY IN BLENHEIM.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 100, 29 April 1908, Page 5

POLLING DAY IN BLENHEIM.

j To-day, polling day for the Mayoralty of the Borough, may safely be said, so far as the choice of Mayor is concerned, to be the ratepayers one day of power. However dissatisfied the public may be, and however much oaey may grumble at the policy pursued by the Mayor, for 364 days out of j the year they are powerless. And this being so, it is not unreasonable to assume that when the opportunity comes the will of the ratepayers will make itself felt through the poll. A I famous writer has said that no country or community is governed either bet- I ter or worse than it deserves to be, and there is much truth in the statement, for as a general rule the individual who is loudest in his condemnation of the Mayoral policy, or that of the Borough Council, or whatever it ma j be that falls under his displeasure, is the very man who willtell you that "he can't be bothered" to record his vote when the opportunity arrives for him to do his part m having a bad policy altered or a good one maintained. In this present Mayoral election, notwithstanding that there has been a strange apathy and listlessness on the part of the Borough, now that the actual day has arrived the ratepayers and the candidates' supporters are waking up and infusing something like iii:e into the proceedings. There are ever 1300 ratepayers on the roll in the Borough, and there is no reason whatever why an 80 per cent, poll should not be recorded. As far as could be judged by surrace indications when we went to- press, there seemed to be every prcspect of a good poll being taken, and any wavering ratepayer who may not have voted when his paper gets to him this evening has still time to put on his hat and wend his way to the Literary Institute and record his vote according to his convictions. Both parties are working well : and cabs and other vehicles are busy conveying voters to the polling booth and the candidates themselves are both confident, . though the general opinion is that the voting will be very close. Still there is much variance on the point, some maintaining that one or the other will have a "walk over " but in all probability those who predict a close finish will be nearer the mark. . .

Polling commenced at 9 o'clock tins' morning, and will continue until 7 this evening. As soon as possible after this the results will be announced rrom the rotunda in the Square by the Returning Officer (Mr D\ P1 Sinclair.) Polling arrangements are being carried out in a systematic and effective manner, and every facility is given for the recording of the votes without confusion or delay.