THE ELECTIONS

Southland Times, Issue 18927, 28 April 1923, Page 5

THE ELECTIONS

MAYORAL CONTEST TIE LOT DECIDES SOUTH MAYORI ALTY The recount at South Invercargill was announced last night and resulted in a tie, both candidates obtaining 487 votes. Th? flection was decided by lot with the result that Mr John Mitchell was returned. AFTER THE POLL SWEARING IN OF COUNCILLORS The chief topic of conversation in the city yesterday was, of course, the result of the elections and the few surprises that had taken place. The majority secured by Mr Bain was apparently greater than many people had anticipated as it was fairly generally considered that the polling would be very close. The polling, too, for the Council was, to say the least, quite beyond expectations as regards the number of votes cast, and the return of Councillor Glass at the top of the poll has apparently been a most popular one. The ceremony of swearing in the new Council will take place prior to the ordinary meeting of the Council next Tuesday evening while the official ceremony of installing the Mayor will take place at noon on Wednesday. RECOUNT NOT COMPLETED The official recount in connection with the various proposals had not been completed last 1 evening and as the officers concerned in the recount had been practically on duty the whole time since the booths were opened on Thursday morning it was decided to defer continuing the scrutiny of the papers until this morning, when it is anticipated the final figures wiil be available between 11 and 12 o’clock. As far as could be ascertained last evening no appreciable alteration had been made in the numbers previously recorded. HOSPITAL BOARD In connection with the election of representatives of the various local bodies on the Southland Hospital Board, Mr J. S. McDougall, who is rhe present representative for the combined district of Winton, Bluff, etc., has been returned unopposed, as also has Mr Thomas Rhodes for the Gore and Mat aura Borough Councils and the Wyndham and Lumsden Town districts. The nominations of seven representatives for the Southland County Council instead of six as formerly will close on Monday next, and the election wiil take place on May 9. An election will also be held at the same time for an elec tion of one representative of the Lake County Council, Mr G. S. Edie, of Birchwood being opposed by Mr J. W. Miller of Coronet Peak. BLUFF MAYORALTY. SPEECHES BY CANDIDATES. Mr J. S. A. McDougall thanked the electors of Bluff for the confidence they had expressed by again electing him as Mayor after all the electioneering that had taken place. He regretted that he was absent from Bluff on the previous Tuesday, and so lost the opportunity of refuting some of the statements that had been made. He wished to thank all those who had voted for hifti and those who had worked so hard in his interests during his absence from home. He would do his very best, as he always had, in the best interests of the borough.— (Applause). Mr G. V. Edge was not present when the announcement was made, but addressed the people assembled later in the evening. He intimated that he was perfectly satisfied with the pole and did not anticipate a recount. A number of persons thought that he should not have stood for the position of Mayor, but there was no other alternative he could accept. He was not prepared to put up with what he had gone through at the last Council table, and so he had decided to capture the chair with a view to securing impartial treatment, which one would naturally expect in connection with Council procedure. He had been given to understand that the Mayor regretted that he had not been afforded the opportunity of correcting statements delivered from the public platform a few nights ago. He would only be too pleased to re-engage the hall for any occasion that would suit the Mayor’s convenience to reply, and he thought it was the Mayor’s duty to correct him if he were wrong, so that the ratepayers may know the true state of affairs. He desired to thank all who had voted for him, but believed he was more indebted to those who had voted against him. Things in connection with the Council affairs were not all that they should be, and whoever were returned would not be doing their if they did not clean up the mess occasioned by past maladministration.— (Applause. LATEST RETURNS. AUCKLAND. (Per United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, April 27. The City Council election resulted in the election of sixteen members of the old Council and five new members. Twenty elected were on either the Progressive Citizens or P.P.A. tickets.* Of twelve Labour candidates only Mr Bloodworth was elected. He was fifth on the list. All loan proposals were carried: Streets £190,000; tramways, £20,000; Zoo extension, £20,000; and suburban libraries, £16,000. WELLINGTON, April 27. The City Council is:—Messrs G. Mitchell, W. J. Gaudin, 11. D. Bennett, W. 11. Bennett, M. Luckie, T. Forsyth, B. G. H. Burn. J. Burns, F. Meadowcroft, S. 11. Chapman, J. Aston, W. J. Thompson, A. L. Montieth, A. W. Parton, and Mr.s A. McVicker. There were thirty-five candidates. Messrs Chapman and Monteith are the only Labour candidates elected. For the Harbour Board Messrs G. Mitchell, 11. D. Bennett, C. J. Norwood and Captain Post were elected. The proposal for the purchase of Kelburn tramway by the city was defeated by 6182 to 2678, but a loan of £95,000 for Onslow district, recently taken into the city, was carried by 468 to 44 . For the Wellington Hospital Board the following were returned, Mr Vhn Staveren Castle, Mrs McVivar, Rev Elliott, Sir C. M. Luke, Messrs N. Appleton, Pettcrick, Hornblow, Campbell, Vine, Butler, Chapman and Cole. Mr Chapman was the only Labour candidate elected. Mr Glover and Mrs Snow, old Labour members were defeated. The new members are Messrs Shirtcliffe, Appleton, Campbell and Cole. CHRISTCHURCH, April 27. In the proportional representation poll for eight city seats on the Hospital Board 17,488 valid votes were cast, and the position is that the Rev. J. K. Archer, Dr. Fenwick, and Mrs Herbert and Mr H. J. Otley, in that order, have secured the quota, while the remainder are doubtful. For four seats on the Harbour Board there were 16,619 valid votes, and Messrs Holland and Armstrong, M.P., arc elected, while Dr. Thacker is likely to fill the third seal, and the fourth is doubtful. For one Harbour Board seat, Lyttelton district, Mr M. J. Miller defeated Mr R. Hatchwell by a narrow margin. BLENHEIM, April 27. In the half-holiday poll Saturday was retained by a small majority. Mr John Joseph Corry was defeated in the Hospital Board election after being for many years chairman. NEW PLYMOUTH, April 27. The municipal elections resulted in the return of five of the old Councillors who stood for re-election, one candidate who was associated with them on the “ticket” and two, including Mr S. Smith, M.P., included in the Citizens’ Committee “ticket.” The Labour candidates were badly beaten. The election is an emphatic win for the Mayor, Mr Wilson, who was unopposed. The Saturday half-holiday was carried by a substantial majority.