THE MAYORAL CONTEST.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 486, 20 April 1909, Page 4

THE MAYORAL CONTEST.

The five candidates for the City Mayor-1 alty can certainly claim that they have lost- no • opportunity of , making their views known to citizens. All have "already held many meetings, and most of them are now. saying the same things over and over. again, 7 with' 1 occasional variety . introduced at , ; question * time. AYhether or not the candidates have thrown much ' new light on ,the condition of the city's affairs may be open to question. .They certainly have left no room for doubt in the'minds of ratepayers that tho coming year should be one of stocktaking ■ and '- careful administration, rather than, ono for launching out into new undertakings of any magnitude. This must be plain to everyone. At phe outset of the campaign we expressed the view that when polling day came the thinking section of the. voters would be chiefly concerned as to which candidate could be best entrusted to administer the city's affairs in a business-like manner. That what was required was a safe and solid administration rather than a man with a hand full of schemes for advancing the interests of the city in directions desirable enough, perhaps, undor ordinary circumstances, but quite out of place at the present juncture. This view, wo believe, is widely held at the present time, -and it will probably be a deciding factor in the contest. An impression appears to be, gaining- ground that in the splitting of votes between the other candidates, there is a prospect of the Labour candidate, the Hon. J. Rigg, slipping into the Mayoral office. Mr. Hiqg is not a candidato to be despised. : He is probably the strongest man the Labour party in Wellington 'could put forward at the present time. ' It is open to doubt, however, whether Mr. Rigg will securo a solid Trades Union vote, much less a solid Labour vote. Mr. Wii.ford is believed to be relying on a section of the Labour vote, and no doubt Mb, Fiaheb •- ■ '• . .. »•

will receive-some support from this quarter. 1 Hit. Rigg's candidature will probr ably have the effect of hardening up the supporters 1 of Dr. Newman. The lastnamed candidate's chances, indeed, appear to bo growing better daily. His meetings are second only to Me. Fisher's, whose strong point is his plat- ( form work, and he may bo expected to receive a largo proportion of the, votes of that class of burgesses which does not attend public meetings. There can be no doubt that Dr. Newman's experience, in public life and in connection with large financial and trading concerns should be very valuable to the city; .and the fact that : he has the leisure to giye hiß whole attention' to tho' manifold attached to the Mayoral office should be an additional factor in ( his favour on.polling' day. 4