YESTERDAY'S POLL

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10752, 27 April 1911, Page 6

YESTERDAY'S POLL

BOROUGH RESULTS. With four sets of papers to count it could not be expected that the results of the various polls taken yesterday would be announced at an early hour. But the returning officer, his deputies and assistants worked well and by 11.30 o'clock the final results were made known to the two or three hundred 'people that waited before the Wear Street Hall. The results ivere as follow: —Mavoraltv.— Kenneth M'Ada'm 1081 W. H. Frith 551 Informal ... ... 53 Majority for Dr M'Adain ... 530 —Borough Council.— Grave, Albert Joseph ... 1332 Milligan, Robert 1280 Ireland, Robert Kay 1249 Searle, Walter 1180 Mitchell. James 1169 Vernor, John ... ..,- ... 1158 Watson, Andrew ... ... 1153 Clarke, Alex 1147 Mahan, Robt 1117 Miller, Donald 1108 I'aterson, W. H 1017 Snadden, Geo 875 Rodman, James 796 O'Driscoll, Thos. Wm. ... 771 Informal 34 The first twelve are elected. —Harbor Board. — Four Representatives of the Borough. Milligan, Robt. ... - ... 1060 Brown, J. M ... 962 Sutherland, Duncan ... ... 915 Lane, Edward ... ... , ... 814 Paterson, W. H. ... ... 660 Crawshaw, Samuel ... ... 526 Allan, John ... ... ... 461 Vernor, John 458 Dennison, Hadden ... " ... 99 Informal .1; ... "... 119 The first four are elected. —Half-holiday:— Thursday - ... 1180, Saturday ' 438 Tuesday - -'•-' - Wednesday .'... ..'.■ ... .'6 Monday .... ' ... ... "2 Friday ... ... ... ... 2 Informal ... ..-. ' ... 26 Thursday is retained by a large majority. Dr M'Adam was the first called upon to return thanks to the ratepayers. He remarked that-they had not come there to hear him; they wanted to know about the Harbor Board elections. However, he would make a short speech to thank them very heartily for the confidence they had shown in him by placing him at th,e top of the poll. At the same time he was very sorry that the 3' were losing Councillor Frith" for a short time. He hoped it would not be for long, as Mr Frith had been a very good man for the Council. He was very glad that they had chosen him for the mayoral chair; but there were dozens of men better than he in the town, and it was a pity they did not come forward. "I come before you again to-night as a defeated candidate," said Mr Frith. He was getting used to being defeated, but hoped to live to light another day;. He thanked those ladies and gentlemen who had voted for him, but wished to say that he was quite satisfied they had elected a very good. man. He had put in a lot of work for the Council; but had liked it and made a sort of hobby of it. Mr Milligan called for Mr Grave, who had headed the Council poll, and who was the man that suggested the top storey for the Town Hall. Mr Grave thanked them very much for placing him at the head of the poll. He had had very little to do in the Council, and he saw theother day that: some one'was asking for the attendance at the Council. He thought : that was aimed at him. He was very

sorry that the Council was losing the .services of Councillor Frith, who had been the best Councillor they had had. No one with the exception or, the Mayor had Riven the same time to the people as Councillor Frith. He regretted also that another good Councillor, Mr lirown, had decided not to stand again. "You fan C|iiite understand 1 am rather a happy man to-night," said Mr Milligan. He wished first of all to join with Mr Grave and Dr M'Adain in expressing very great regret that Mr Frith would not be at the Council table this year, but he hoped he would take the first opportunity of standing again, as he had been a very good Councillor. It was a remarkable and gratifying fact that the three men who were at the head of the Council poll were Oamaru boys—Messrs Grave, Ireland, and himself. He was glad to see the younger men taking an interest in public affairs. It was extremely gratifying to him in particular and to the members of the Harbor Board who had supported him and had done their best in the interests of the port and district, to see that they had swept the polls. This was the first occasion on which elections for country members had been held. Formerly members had been nominated by the County Council. This result was extremely gratifying to those who had been so much criticised—unfairly criticised—by certain members of the' Board and in the press. It was a proof that in the ultimate the British public was , fair. When men were honestly trying i to do .their duty without anv axe to grind it was gratifying to see that their efforts were appreciated. They had the confidence of the public, which confidence they would not abuse; but would do their best in the interests of the port. He thanked them very heartily for the proud position in which.they had placed him on the poll. ... A call for Mr Ireland was not responded to. Mr Rodman, one of tlie defeated candidates, thanked his supporters and said he hoped to do better 'next time. , ..-,..

Dr M Adam proposed a vote of thanks to the returning officer, aiid the posal was carried by acclamation. . But a restless public was not satisfied that, proceedings should close so early and one wakeful juvenile called for speeches from "all the rest of them." Mr Duncan Sutherland facetiously remarked that he always came out oh top. He was pleased to be returned for Oamaru, as he had been a resident of the town for very many years. If he had been defeated he would have been quite happy, as he was about full up of public affairs; but he was a fighting man, and had contested the election. There was a sort of misapprehension that the Board was reckless, but members of the Board were the largest ratepayers, and if they slated the ratepayers they were slating themselves. ',-'■ Mr W. Gardiner, jun., also spoke, endorsing the remarks of Mesrs Milligan and Sutherland and eulogising the work done by Mr Milligan as Chairman of the Board.

\ THE COUNTY, As in the Borough, so it vrsis in the County—the voting resulted in th e return by a substantial majority of three of ' the sitting. members of the Board and of Mr H. A.' Dovey, a new aspirant, who had signified his-full acceptance of its policy. An analysis of the voting discloses that it was mainly along party lines, those candidates, and especially Mr James Mitchell, who were independent of faction being considerably below the lowest of the rejected ticket. The returned candidates polled between them 1757 votes, or an individual average of 439, while the candidates calling themselves the "Ratepayers'" party polled a total of 1005 votes, or an average vote of 251. The following shows the result of the voting at the different polling places:—

o o >> - to -1 a 5 2 .to o o o o. H 8 ■2■o •■ 1 o "3 '3. o "3 fi K -:?!.* " »- ■+; 3r' -9 - < •■a". +» 1-3 X 3marsma .. 2 0 1 1 •$K£ 1. 0 Kurow 31 w16 10. 18 12 10 '14" 2 Otokaiko-- .. 18 13 '1+ 5 if; . 1 4 ■ 0 Dimtroon .. 37 34 39 29 . 9 4 V SSf-sMK^&^K^i 1- ' 2 0 Livingtone . 11 6 3 2 S rU mis 4 -6 1 Tokarahi .. . 29 26 23 13 29 IS - .3 4 Bfeorgetown. 37 29 38 31 12 6 ■''g-^'G;-' ' 3 3 3 Kokoamo .. 7 9 9 6 3 - .0 ■ ;l '028'- : - X ' 0--0 Meadowbank 65 59 55 61 44 38 Iff ' -1 -5 Pukeufi 14 15 11 15 11 7 5 ' 4 , 2 9 0 Papakaio .. 21 14 17 13 1'6 13 . 7' ,4 5 4 » Ngat>ara 43 45 37 35 13 2 BEMK^ffi^y^^CT 0 \3"'2 Windsor 36 34 21 33 14 5 4 Tf" ■ 4 0 ' 1 Enfield 25 20 16 21 IS 7 9. 9 - 5 6 1 VfV'ston 35 29 24 3J h|0%M|:^S ! is! Kakaimi --8 S . .4 8 15 13 6 107 '4' 1 Totara 22 14 10 19 27 20 13 -12 9 ' 8 6 Stir. Oamaru 36 29 28 34 16 14 11- - 8 ' 10 ' '3 1 Tncholmo .. 9 6 26 7 13 12 7 8 3 4 1 Sraheno 16 14 11 16 27 29 19 18 3 4 0 Horbort 13 - - 1 , 2 8 11 16 20 14 9 8 0 1 515 427 411 404 349 248 212 .196 91 63 34