153 ARRESTS MADE.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20283, 18 April 1934, Page 1

153 ARRESTS MADE.

Disorders Occur During Mayoral Poll. MONTREAL, April 12. j One hundred and fifty-three persons | were arrested yesterday in Montreal | in disorders in connection with the j civic election. As a result of the poll, which gave him a majority of 53,000, the debonair | Mr Camiliien Iloude will sit in the 1 mayoral chair of Canada’s metropolis more firmly than any of his predecessors. Montreal is not .only Canada’s fast-est-growing centre of population, but in the last 10 years it has outstripped any large city in all North America in the rapidity of its coming new population and development until, to-day, it closely approximates to Sydney in size and enlarging boundaries. Mr Houde rode into power with a platform of three words: “Hands off Montreal! ” Mr Louis Alexander Taschereau has been Premier of Quebec Province continuously since 1920, and by his experience and accomplishment is easily Canada’s ablest provincial politician. Mr Houde, however, alleged that Mr Taschereau, like a dictator, had selected for Montreal’s Mayor one of his henchmen, Dr Plante, whom Mr Houde has now signally defeated. Industrially and commercially Montreal is leading in Canada’s recovery, but, curiously, the civic finances are at a low ebb, and Mr Houde faces one of the gloomiest terms in a generation. He has promised to feed and clothe 46,000 unemployed families, while the current civic Budget faces a deficit of / ,000,000 dollars (about £1,400,000). The French are in a great majority in the city’s population, but, like New i ork, Montreal contains many thousands of Jews. At one polling place yesterday 18 men were arrested on a charge of having attempted to prevent Jewish citizens from casting votes.