THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS MONDAY, MAY 19, 1941 LOCAL ELECTIONS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23968, 19 May 1941, Page 6

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS MONDAY, MAY 19, 1941 LOCAL ELECTIONS

I A satisfactory verdict was returned iby municipal electors on Saturday. They preferred candidates offering j experience, sound administration and concentration on wartime essentials to those basing their appeal on I fair-seeming promises of schemes i that could only subtract from the ! main drive. The result in the case |of the Auckland City Council is i striking, but typical of the trend on many other bodies, both in and around Auckland and in the South. Mr. J. A. C. A Hum's experience and ! proved capacity in local adminisitration has been deservedly recogj nised by his election as Majfor by a I comfortable majority over the j veteran Labour candidate, Mr. J. j Savegh. Mr. A Hum can lie expected to combine zeal and energy with | considerable ability in discharging the dut it's of his office. I hose • qualities should no! come amiss in | a council in which Mr. A Hum can ! number '2O supporters, while the Labour opposition has dwindled to one. Three years ago Labour won | seven seats on the council and in j 19:5") commanded a majority. Their i failure on the present occasion was not due to lack of organisation, and may be traced to their refusal to ■ subordinate sectional objectives to national imperatives at a time of | crisis. Xo doubt local issues also j played a part, as at Onehunga, but there, as elsewhere, Labour has i chosen to preserve party when the times called for unity, and cannot disown the public reaction. A symptom of popular indifference to untimely divisions can be seen in i the lightness of the voting in Auckland City. Only 32,703 out of the 135,684 electors enrolled troubled to cast their votes. The percentage is ! 40.8, or less than half—the worst response since 1932. Three years ago i almost 65 per cent voted, and in 1935 (50 per cent. The extent of the shrinkage can be gauged from the j fact that it required over 17,200 votes to win a council seat in 1938. while on Saturday less than 13,650 votes I sufficed. In effect, the people have informed the politicians that larger issues occupy attention and have ! rebuffed those who have declined to recognise the implications. Another factor to be reckoned is the influence jof Saturday polling for the first time. The innovation was made by . the Labour Government in the i expectation that it would make for larger polls and favour Labour | candidates. The theory has not worked out in practice, although longer experience and normal conditions are necessary before passing final judgment. The voting response of electors in other centres mayhave been heavier, although the results have been no happier for Labour Wellington and Punedin j have retained their Mayors against the bids of Labour M.P.'s, and I Christchurch has turned away from i Labour. The trend has been emphasised in the election of the three 'city councils and continued info the | provinces. I So far as Auckland is concerned, the electors' intention seems clear. By eliminating any serious opposition, they have banned politics and placed (he emphasis on administration. The same injunction has been issued to hospital, harbour and power boards. Local authorities are instructed to concentrate on essentials, to assist the war effort so far as they can. and not to impede it by introducing schemes that are irrelevant and an encumbrance when we are fighting for our lives. It is this stern mood of clearing decks for action that caused electors to ignore or reject such Labour baits as extended social services, municipalisation of milk supply and town planning. What is wanted now is prudent and sound local administration in order to avoid any drag on the national drive, plus the active discharge of any local duties imposed by the war, such as patriotic activities and emergency precautions. Hospital, harbour and power boards have also to stand ready to answer any calls on their special services. Beyond that, the people would not have local bodies go, except, to prepare plans with care and vision in readiness for post-war demands. Some measure of economic dislocation in the time of transition from war to peace organisation should be anticipated and provided against. Failure to plan ahead has led in the past to much waste by the adoption of hurried and makeshift schemes. Mr. Allum should accept as a special responsibility the setting in train of preparatory work on schemes of civic develop merit —drainage, airport, traffic outlets—that. will be ready against the time and the need