THE Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 1909. THE MAYORAL ELECTION.

Southland Times, Issue 14095, 29 April 1909, Page 4

THE Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 1909. THE MAYORAL ELECTION.

The ratepayers of the town, those who voted against him, as well as those who voted for him, will be Quito satisfied to entrust the business of the town to hlr Longuet for the next twelve months. Ho has the ability and zeal to discharge efficiently all the duties attaching to the high office to which he has been elected. After the event the factors that operated to give Mr Longuet a majority present : no difficulty in explanation. The candidature of the Mayor elect was very greatly strengthened by the address be delivered on .Monday night. We doubt whether Mr Longuet would have won hnd the poil been taken last week. His nomination address was disappointing, hut when put upon his mettle, ho defended his'candidature in a strong, hut perfectly fair, criticism of jvir Scandrelt's administration, made a clear and definite statement of his views on certain broad questions of policy, and thereby gained many votes that he did not hold before .Monday night. In Ids speech on Tuesday night Mr Boandrcit failed to answer boldly and conclusively his oppoaents’s criticisms, and soon after the publication of Ids address yesterday morning it became known that a considerable number of votes would be withdrawn from him and transferred to Mr Longuet. Mr Longuet is to be congratulated on his victory against a g.:utl; man, who is admittedly a very formidable antagonist in any contest for the suffrages of the people of Invercargill. Cut while Mr Scandrctt enjoys public popularity in quite an uncommon degree it cannot bo disguised that lie had alienated the sympathy of a huge number of his former sympathisers by some of his administrative acts, and by certain features of the methods by which he elected to conduct hi., campaign. His defeat may be taken as an indication that iu the opinion of many of the ratepayers lie showed a disposition to vacillate and yield in regard to the tramways and the recent valuations, and erred, strategically in putting the proposal for the gravitation water supply loan to the vote. And apart from the questions of administration yesterday’s poll conclusively showed that personal house to house canvassing i" not approved in Invercargill, and also that in the opinion of the majority, a Mayor who has filled office for five or six years should bo prepared to stand aside in favour of other aspirants to the most honourable position in the gift of the citizens. Though defeat is never a welcome experience, Mr Scandrctt has been too long in public life to be greatly disturbed by yesterday's verdict, and lie has the satisfaction of retiring with a record of service that is not likely to be equalled in Invercargill for a very long time.