AN ELECTION REFLECTION

Wanganui Chronicle, 20 November 1950, Page 4

AN ELECTION REFLECTION

Still Many Postal Votes To Count!

Any examination o£ the results of the local body elections, which took place on Saturday, must be approached in a knowledge that there arc still quite a numbar of postal votes to be counted and these, notably in the case of the Wanganui City Council (400 to 500) could alter the personnel as announced after the provisional count. .

Highlights of the election in YVanganui City were Labour’s capture of all four seats on the Wanganui - Rangitikei Electric Power Board, where they previously had two, the displacement of a Citizens sitting councillor on the Wanganui City Council and defeat of a Citizens member of the Wanganui Harbour Board—these in addition to the long proved personal popularity of the Hon. W. J. Rogers, the Mayor.

Elections in the borough and rural areas have also had their highlights—main among them being the defeat of the sitting Mayor of Marton, the return to the Wanganui Harbour Board of two rural Independent members pledged to support the Mullins Scheme, the consequent defeat of a Waitotara County and a Wanganui County representative on the Harbour Board, and the polling against county chairmen—in Wanganui, Rar/jtikel and Waimarino.

Labour Gains

An over-riding question this morning is: Has Labour gained as the result of the present state of politics in the Parliamentary field, or are the results of Saturday s elections to be regarded more as personal rather party votes? It is always difficult to reconcile a local body election with a Parliamentary vote, because the issues in the former are more widely spread and diverse. A Parliamentary issue, at least so far as New Zealand has been affected over the past 15 years, is confined mainly to two parties. But in a local body poll, though in name and outward appearance there are two factions—Labour on the one hand, and Citizens on the other, with the Independents, as usual, cutting little Ice—the personal factor has had a strong bearing. It is safe to say, taking Wanganui City as a guide, that many voters who helped put Mr Jack at the top of the poll also voted for Messrs Andrews, Hawkins and McFarland, of Labour. That observation could be described also in reverse—many who voted for Mr Hawkins would vote also tor Messrs Crotty and Izard, many people that is, who, in a Parliamentary election would vote Labour, voted Citizens, and that many who voted Citizens on Saturday would vote Labour In a Parliamentary issue. That is faiuly obvious when the City Council poll is looked at. From further afield, however, in a big metropolitan centre like Christchurch, and in Hutt and Petone, there has been a definite swing towards Labour, ana while local conditions have a great bearing on local elections, it can safely be assumed that Labour, has made progress there because of rising costs of living and disappointments politically venting themselves on the local body voting papers.

In Auckland, where there was a remarkable personal tribute to Sir John Allum, a vindication of his intention to stand as independent when his Citizens backing was not forthcoming. there has also been a swing towards Labour. The same applies in Dunedin and in Wellington, though in the latter city the Citizens were divided as an election force. But the swing to Labour in nearly all local bodies in the main centres is plain enough for all to see.

In Wanganui the personal vote which was given Mr Rogers by the electors over almost a quarter of a century is not quite such a guide to Parliamentary politics as might appear on the surface, though, without a shadow of a doubt that same personal following would be his if he stood for election to the House of Representatives. His mana has been undimmed, through both war and peace, and it has come to ba an accepted fact that he only has to stand to top the poll.

Power Board

Labour in Wanganui made its greatest gain in the Electric Power Board, and if the result there is taken at fact value, the Labour cause has indeed greatly improved its appeal to the people. But tnere is this to remember about the Power Boara election, that the two seats now captured by Labour are seats whicu were not originally held by the two Citizens’ candidates who were defeated. At the last election the people seat the late Mr Roy Dobbs ai.d Mr Jim Broad to fill those seats. Had the fates so willed and they had been candidates again, they would have been much harder to beat, and from Saturday s election it would be safer to regard the win of Messrs Hawkins and McFarland for Labour as being more personal than party—they had a greater personal following as disclosed by support for them in other local bodies. Although Labour now holds four seats on the Power Board, that board will still be under non-party control. There are eight borough and rural representatives on the Power Board, all of them re-elected unopposed. It is a matter of passing interest that, it should be in the Power Board, the least conter. * ms of all 11..- ’neal bodies in the city, that Labour should have made its biggest gain. A scat on the Power Board is not to be compared with a seat on the Harbour Board, for instance. The Power Board is one of Wanganui’s best run lacal bodies, and, while here and there, there are small problems and criticising Because of knek o.' ret'cußtion, those have a more rural origin than havirg root in the city. Party strife has been absent from the Power Board table to a greater extent than in any local body in this area, and yet a party team Ir's captured all four city seats.

Harbour Board

Result of the Harbour Board election is somewhat clouded by Independent candidates who contes'ed the city seats. There were three of them and while they were not well sunported. the question is. who else did those people who voted for the

Independent candidates support? It may be that there was "plump" voting for Independents, but it is reasonable to believe that those who wanted the Independents in would support others who were opposed to the faction in power—in other words, supporters of the Independents would give a liberal share of their voting to Labour as opposed to a Citizens Harbour Board. It could be taken for granted that one member of the Harbour Board they would vote against would be Mr Burgess, who openly condemned the Mullins Scheme in the Press. The personal votes of Mr. Rogers and Mr Facfarland would be their’s in tlie harbour election just as much as in any other issue, Independents or not, and the same could be said for the chairman of the board, Mr. Millward, who can probably count a fair Labour vote in his total. But the effect of the Independents, or those In sympathy with Independents—voters who wanted to see the Mullins’ Scheme given a trial—would more likely accrue for the benefit of' Mr. Bergin than for Mr. Burgess, thus displacing a Citizens’ nominee tor last position among the accepted six.

Two country members will come to the Harbour Board table with Mullins Scheme as one of their ideas for an improved harbour, and perhaps a desire to see a Royal Commission inquire into Hnrbout affairs—Mr Morgan (Wanganui County) and Mr Corliss (Waitotara County). It is interesting that two Independents could win country elections and Independents in the city get nowhere. It is likely, therefore, that both Messrs. Morgan and Corliss are aware of personal followings rather than any other type of following—that people voted for them because of the close interest in harbour affairs and will expect them to make their decisions as members of the board, unfettered by ties of party and with the sole object of obtaining and maintaining for Wanganui a good port! Another sidelight on the Harbour election is that the Government nominee on the old board (Mr. Cummings) was not elected, whereas the other nominated member on the board, Mr. Bergin, who was the representative of the watersiders, retained a seat at the expense of Mr. Burgess. The old board was a board of 12 members, two of them nominated and noi elected, but under- the new legislation it now has 10 members, all of them elected, six from the city and four from the country districts. At the moment the balance of power on the board is hard to determine. A lot will depend on the attitude or the two Independents and of Labour. The Citizens side’ side of the old Jroard was represented by Messrs. Millward, Kirk, Burgess, Wahlstrom and Beauchamp. with Messrs. Morrison, Wells, Winwood and McGregor representing rural local bodies and Messrs. Rogers (Labour), Bergin (watersiders) and Cummings (Government), Now the position is: Citizens (Messrs. Millward, Kirk and Wahlstrom) 3 Labour (Messrs. Rogers, Macfarland and Bergin) 3 Independents (Mullins scheme supporters, Messrs. Morgan and Corliss) 2 Rural members (not attached to any particular faction, Messrs Morrison and McGregor) 2 Total ... 10 It could well be in such a set-up that the chairman may occasionally have to cast about looking for his casting vote.

City Council

There are some 400 to 500 postal votes still to be counted, and it is as well to bear that in mind in assessing the trend in regard to the City Council. At the moment Labour has gained a seat —not much when it is ony one —i;t that one seat will enable the Mayor to appoint his own chairmen of committees and found and maintain control within the realm of the Labour Party if that is desired on that side of the table. So few votes separate the last two places on the council and the first two of those near a hand, that it is possible for these positions to be changed. However, at present the City Council is perhaps the strongest of all endorsements of Labour.

Sitting Labour Party members have all improved their positions on the council at the expense of Citizens’ candidates. If there are 400 votes still to be counted, ’aking a line through the Mayoral issue, the poll on Saturday was bigger than in 1947. Mr. Rogers and Mr. Seivewright, in 1947, polled between them 11,537 votes. On Saturday the provisional count gives Mr. Rogers 6443 and Mr. Seivewright 4832, a total of 11,275. If another 400 votes are to be counted it would seem that this year’s poll will be at least 100 votes more than on the last occasion.

With those figures in mind it is interesting to make comparisons between the provisional count of 1947 and that of Saturday. In the provisional count on Saturday Mr. Jack polled 6374 votes. Last time the provisional count gave him 6129 and the final count lifted him to 6436. . Mr. Hawkins, second on the provisional count, on Saturday, polled 5792 votes 'ast. time, ns against 6144 on Saturday, an increase of 352. Mr Batts poll on Saturday, of 6110, was 182 morn than last time, and Mr. Macfarlano, another Labour member, lifted his total by 366. Contrast that voting with the votes cast for Citizen candidates: Mr. Gilberd 504 fewer votes than last time Mr. Delves 297 fewer, Mr. Dickson 155, and Mr. Izard. 105 fewer—all on the preliminary counts this time, and in 1947. On those figures it is fairly clear that the elections have had a definite, though small, swing towards Labour. In all probability the Labour vote, as such, has increased, and the personal mana of individual candidates has been mainta’ned. Mr. Macfarland s rise from a position of 12th councillor to fifth is noteworthy. In his case it would seem that support came from both sides, and that is fairly well establ’shed in regard to Messrs. Hawkins, Batt. Andrews and Price. The general improvement of Labour, voting and tire elevation of Mr. Bond

as next in order of running (13th man at the moment if only by one vote) suggests that Labour's basic vote in Wanganui has risen since 1947. It is difficult to account for the fall in regard to Mr. Wilson, the Citizens’ councillor who has been defeated. It is suggested in some quarters that he is paying the penalty of being last, or almost last, on the ballot paper that "tickets” are filled before a voter gets to the last names and he leaves them to their fate. That of course can never be proved. Another suggestion is that he was chairman of the Reserves Committee a body with insufficient money to accomplish selfsufficiency for all and sundry.

Hospital Board

The Wanganui Hospital Board issue seems to have been less affected by party than any local body In the city. The people have voted for a return of the sitting members, replacing the late Mrs. Scott (Labour) with Mr. Batt, of the same party. Probably it is fitting that that be so, an endorsement of those who are charged with the duty of caring for the sick and afflicted, an Intimation that they are doing the best they can with the faclllles at hand. One Independent candidate upset the chances of some, but, in general, the Hospital Board is to be "as you were” so far as the city is concerned.

For a week or so the official counting of votes will occasion interest and then, when the final figures are announced, local bodies will settle down to three years of hard work. New members will find that there are limits to what can be done, yet opportunity to work if the will be there.