Only 7 Per Cent. Of Electors Vote In Marsden Poll

Northern Advocate, 15 March 1944, Page 4

Only 7 Per Cent. Of Electors Vote In Marsden Poll

Little interest was shown by voters in the poll for the Marsden Licensing Committee yesterday, only just oyer 7 per cent of electors on the Parliamentary roll exercising their privilege. Four of the five sitting members contested the poll and four newcomers offered their services to the electors. On the preliminary count two of the sitting members, Messrs W. Collins, of Maungaturoto, and A. H. Curtis, of Wliangarei, lost their seats.

Member of the committee for a long period, Mr C. R, Lovatt topped the poll, gaining the favour of 607 of approximately 800 electors—the few of the 11,000 on the Marsden roll to use their rights—while next in order were Messrs A. Clarke (sitting member) 520 votes, Rev. G. Brown 516 votes, S. Oldcorn 452 votes, J. S. Hills 428 votes, W. Collins (sitting member) 427 votes, A. H. Curtis (sitting member) 409 votes, R. H. Allan 334 votes. The number on the Marsden electoral roll is 11,211. Change Possible

With five members required it appears that the four leading candidates. Messrs Lovatt, Clarke, Brown and Oldcorn will be certain to retain their seats in the official count, but the fifth committeeman elected on the preliminary count, Mr Hills, is in a. precarious position being only one vote ahead of Mr Collins. For the fifth seat the official count may make a difference and a change. Messrs Curtis and Allan both appear to be out of the race.

Analysis of the voting at the 20 booths throughout the electorate is not conducive to definite conclusions, and no satisfying statement of the voting can be given. Political leanings seem to have played little part in the election, although there is evidence that effort on behalf of prohibitionist candidates had some effect No Parochialism

Parochialism, neither, can be traced to any great extent. Mr Collins did not poll as well in his own residential centre of Maungaturoto as did some of the other candidates, recording only 15 compared with 28 each by Mr Brown and Mr Lovatt. Mr Clarke, a well-known farmer actively associated with local body work, polled well in the country districts as well as in the towns, while some of the remaining candidates, all residents of the town, did remarkably well in the country centres. In topping the poll Mr Lovatt polled well in both town and country, heading the list at the Town Hall, the principal booth, where he collected 312 votes, compared with 277 registered in favour of Mr Oldcorn, a member of the borough council, and also being at the top. or near the top of the individual booth totals.

Changed Boundaries

Comparison with the last Marsden licensing election in 1929 is not accurately possible as. in the meantime, the boundaries of the electorate have been changed, portion of the southern section being deleted and replaced by an area from the Bay of Islands. Only comparison on this phase is. that in 1929 677 electors voted as against approximately 800 on this occasion. This figure, however, is tentative, only an estimate from the number of votes cast at each booth being possible until the official count reveals the total number' of ballot papers issued in the electorate. The returning officer (Mr T. P. Pain) intends to commence the scrutiny of the rolls on Thursday to be followed by the official count which should be completed by Friday night when a declaration will be made.

Fourteen informal voles were cast

| r C o X u | > r o Boolh < £ 0 p u d 5 J 0 Hiktmingi 13 24 11 14 13 la 23 18 Hukcronui 4 4 12 9 11 3 12 10 Kaiwaka 1 5 1 4 2 n 2 1 Kamo 9 33 33 30 29 15 36 30 Kauri 7 16 19 .15 9 9 20 11 Leigh 9 10 16 to 14 6 13 6 Ruakaka 2 4 4 5 4 3 5 3 Mangapai 3 6 9 5 5 7 8 2 Mangawai 4 G 22 22 21 6 23 21 M’Karamca 21 26 13 24 3 22 22 7 M’Pere 1 6 8 7 4 5 7 8 M’Turoto 4 28 27 15 26 25 28 2 Onerahi 10 25 24 12 12 22 20 20 Parua Bav 8 16 14 15 3 13 12 It Poroti 1 4 4 1 1 3 4 2 Portland 9 4 6 6 9 4 7 9 Town Hall 216 266 242 197 202 233 312 277 Waipu Wellsforcl 9 42 45 26 24 29 36 7 1 9 2 3 9 3 10 1 Wharoora 2 2 8 7 8 - 7 6 Totals 334 516 520 427 409 428 607 452