CITY ELECTIONS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17027, 28 April 1923, Page 9

CITY ELECTIONS.

COUNTING COUNCIL VOTES. A commencement was made ■by the staff of the deputy returning officer this morning to count the first preference votes cast in the City Council election. The scrutiny of. the rolls was completed list evening. On the accuracy of the counting or the first preferences the successful transference or the surplusses later will depend, and, to guard against any possibility of error the first count will be checked three times. It. will then be possible for the quota to be worked out. No information was available to-day 1 regarding the Mayoral recount, which was commenced last evening and completed this morning. Mr J. A. Flesher will be installed as Mayor on May 2, at 7.30 p.m. A large number of persons found themselves debarred from voting on the loan proposal, although they possessed the right to do so. It is declared, however, that they had failed to take the necessary steps to secure enrolment as ratepayers. The mere fact that a wife possessed a ratepayer’s right by virtue of her husband’s right did not constitute her a ratepayer for the of the poll. Separate application is necessary to secure this qualification. In many instances persons ivho expected to find themselves eligible to vote on the loan proposal found themselves on the roll in virtue of residential qualifications only, and thus were debarred from voting on the loan proposal. It was pointed out to a reporter this afternoon that, in respect to the loan poll, the returning officers were bound absolutely by the roll, and unless an elector appeared on the roll as possessing the ratepayers’ qualification he was unable to vote on the loan poll. No special instructions were issued to returning officers on the matter. It is clearly laid down in the Statute that a residential qualification does not entitle a vote to take part- in a loan poll. To give everybody an opportunity to become enrolled with their qualification of ratepayer (where they possessed that qualification) the special form for the enrolment of ratepayers was sent to all householders. THE MAYORALTY. The completion of the recount of the votes cast in the mayoral election showed that Mr J. A. Flesher’s majority was greater than was at first announced. The first count gave Mr Flesher a majority of 1917 votes; after the recount it was announced that his mapjority was 2399. The figures are: -

Fl-esher 10,606 Sullivan 8.207 Informal 402 Total 19.215 Majority for Flesher 2,399.