LOCAL-BODY ELECTIONS

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 47, 25 February 1938, Page 2

LOCAL-BODY ELECTIONS

Little Interest Yet DATES NOT ANNOUNCED HASTINGS, Feb. 24. From Our Own CorresDondent Though very little has been heard concerning the forthcoming elections for school committees, municipality and local* bodies, and Parliament, these cevnts have not been, lost sight of. The parties and interests most concerned in these matters have been organising for come time, and within a few weeks it may be expected that the people of this, and other districts, will become “elec-tion-minded,” for it is barely two months before the people will be called upon to exercise their voting right. The first election to take place is that of school committees. This concerns the householders of the various districts, and is conducted by the Hawke’s Bay Education Board. The actual date of the elections, which take place at householders’ meetings, will probably be fixed at the next meeting of the board. There is a prescribed period in which the householders’ meetings must take place, and this limits the date to either in the last week of April or the first week in May. In the meantime, however, some indication of the municipal and local body elections will have publicly manifested itself. This year the elections are to be held on May 11, and the last day of official notification that an election is to be held will be March 19. As to nominations for the borough council, mayoralty and representation of Hastings on the contiguous local bodies, the returning officer (Mr Noel C. Harding) will intimate the actual date on which these close, but which must be within 10 or»14 days prior to May 11. Later in the year there will be the Parliamentary elections. This is fixed by Parliament, and unless any unforeseen circumstances arise, it is expected it will be held in November. Needless to say the fact that elections are looming has necessitated .considerable work for the returning officers, in the direction of preparing the rolls, fix-ing-up lists of polling booths and check-ing-off their arrangements in strict accordance with the various pieces of legislation that deals with the elections. It is too early" yet to give any definite indication of what the fields for the numerous offices will be, for the time of closing of nominations is still some distance away. Householders’ meetings are notorio’isly uncertain, and during recent years there has been a tendency towards allowing old members to continue their valuable, but honorary, service without providing much opposition. Two years ago the board was called upon to appoint quite a number of members to committees, which at election time had not been nominated for, while many other schools did not have an election for a committee. “Ticket” for Council. No official announcement has been made regarding the municipal election in Hastings, but it is understood that the Labour Party has definitely decided to enter thte field, and it is believed that their “ticket” will comprise at least four nominations. From the same source of information it is understood that the party does not propose to contest the mayoralty. It may safely be assumed that ..there will be an election for seats-on the borough council, for there has invariably been a big field in the past, and apart from the Labour Party candidates, and those sitting councillors prepared to give service for a further period, there are several prospective independents. Other elections will be for representation on the Napier Harbour Board, the Hawke's Bay Hospial Board, the Hawke’s Bay Rivers Board and the Hawke’s Bay Electric Power Board, and here again it is usually found that an election is necessary. One issue that will not be decided this year is that of the statutory half-holiday, for the time allowed for a petition to be presented by residents in the twon for a poll to be taken on this question has expired. At the last elections, in May, 1935, there was keen competition for most offices in Hastings an indication of the fields being *s follow: —

The May elections concern the Hastings, Napier, Waipukurau and Waipawa Borough Councils, the Hawke’s Bay, Waipawa, Waipukurau and Patangata County Councils, the Hawke’s Bay and Waipawa hospital boards, Hawke’s Bay and Central Hawke’s Bay Electric power boards, the Havelock North, Taradale and Otane town boards, Napier Harbour Board, H.B. Rivers Board, and a number of park, trust and rabbi* boards.

No. of candidates No. of seats Mayoralty ... 1 1 Council ..... 15 Power Bd. .. 4 2 Harbour Bd. .. 3 2 Hospital Bd. .. 2 Rivers Board . 1