THE VOICE OF THE ELECTORS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20707, 3 May 1929, Page 8

THE VOICE OF THE ELECTORS.

Less satisfactory than the result of the elections of members of local bodies in Dunedin on Wednesday was the neglect of a large proportion of the electors to exercise the franchise. A reflection upon the sense of the claims of citizenship that is entertained in the community is involved in the fact that fewer than 16,000 out of more than 29,000 persons whose names appeared on the roll of district electors recorded their votes. The abstention of so many electors is the more surprising since, in the case of the election of the City Council, the extent of the choice that was offered to them and the torrent of criticism that was poured on the heads of the members of the retiring Council should have had the effect of exciting an unusual amount of interest in the polling. It is a circumstance upon which the community is to be congratulated that those electors who did record their votes made, on the whole, a selection

that was about as unexceptionable as it could be. Throughout tilie whole of New Zealand the ■ polling uhis week has shown a marked averseijeas on the part of: the electors to the- continued effort of one political * partji to introduce its tenets into the sphere of local administration. . It is tfue that Christchurch, Wanganui, and (Jisborne will again have their Labour In neither the case of Wanganui nor that of Gisborne, however, has ( the reelection of the retiring maycrr any political significance. The municipal contest in Christchurch, on th© other hand, was conducted, on linens..that practically reduced the issue Ip one between Socialism and Individualism, i and, when this is understood, tSbe, results of the polling this week' were highly instructive. Two yedr§ ago Mr Archer was elected by a majority of more than 10,000 votes overbids- opponent. This year his party, qoldly appealed to the electors to giveu him 30,000 votes! Their reply was ia>,re-turn-him with a majority of ordjT 235 over a candidate who was placed, at a signal disadvantage from the fact'that he lacked municipal ' experience of any kind. It seems reasonable infer that, the- people of Christchurch are becoming tired of Mr Archer’s posturings and vapourings and the notoriety which, through them, : ifcieir city has been acquiring. The Lalpur candidate for the mayoralty of Aiicklaud, Mr Bloodworth, is *a ■ man j of parts, who personally enjoys a large measure of popular regard. label which he was forced to bifarduring the contest prevented him- for*, the second time—as he was a -can 1 - 1 didate two, years ago—from securing \ election, favoured though he was fey, the fact that: there were as many as, three • anti-Labour candidates. Thorp • was, as in Christchurch, a straight-ofdt ■ contest in Wellington between- la, Labour candidate and an anti-Laboitr, candidate. , The Labour candidate was the secretary of the New Zealand; Labour Party, a man of acknowledged' ability, but the votes in his favour!* were 2000 fewer than his party’s camdidate secured two years ago, while MB; Troup, who sought re-election, Decreased his vote by more than 100(8. Taken all through, the results' of.-tm municipal elections in ,the Domiuioli afford cause for gratification.