MR.T. M. WILFORD RETURNED FOR THE CITY

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 803, 28 April 1910, Page 8

MR.T. M. WILFORD RETURNED FOR THE CITY

SPEECHES OF CANDIDATES.

SUBURBAN AND OTHER CONTESTS.

The election of a Mayor for the city, (jf Wellington took place yesterday, And resnlted in the return of Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P., who polled 6246 votes, as compared with 5270 cast for Mr. 0. J. Crawford, Mr. Wilford's : majority thus being 975. . Allowing for the fact that there were • vxnly two candidates to . cause excitement, the poll may be considered as a fairly large one.: It was conducted very quietly, and, so far as oould be observed, ■without special incidents of any sort. Before the principal polling places, motor-cars and other* vehicles 'did a fairly busy' traffic, during the afternoon especially, convoying voters to the booths,..'and men and women wearing the favours of the candidates pressed their attentions upon such persons as wished to know if thoy were on the roll, or , bore any appearance of a hesitating mind.: The arrangements at the polling places had been well made, and ■the voting was conducted, for the most piirt, simply and smoothly. -It was sugV jested that some people had made the mistake of marking a cross against, the .name of the: candidate they did pot ifavour, as though they regarded it as a mark of reprobation rather than sup- . port, but a system "of voting under which no one will make. v mistakes is never likely to be discovered. The ■ supporters of both candidates were confident of success until the poll closed. Great credit is due to the returning . Officer, Mr. J. Ames, and the officials who had charge of polling places, for ±ho promptness with which the results were made known. The poll closed at 7 p.m., and ten 1 minutes later the first return came to hand. This return, which was from Tinakori Road, gave Mr. Crawford a slight lead, which was increased as the returns from Newtown •Library, Kelburne, and Harcourt's Tooms ; , followed. . Then, as further returns came .in, Mr. Wilford drew ahead, and at about half-past seven had a declared lead of 500. Subsequent returns -increased his advantage, and though isome of the later totals were, in favour iof , Mr. Crawford, his opponent's, majority was secure. The last returns Were received art eight o'clock.

DETAILS OF THE VOTING. ■ 1 . ."2 .~■ ■•a' - , J I I Booth. '% I. | Adelaide Eoad .—.v.™. 114 129 — Alexandra Hall 245 187 — Ato Street .......... 71 170 — Brooklyn .................. .114 : .411 1 Century Hall<—— 338 360 3 Druids -Hall ..._. ._. 313 537. .1 Harcourt's Booms 428 '364 — Hataitai 79' 118 - Island. Bay ......64. 106 ' 1 Kearney's Tea Booms ... 30 71 1 Kelburne ....... 140 . .73 . 1. Kilbirnie . 250 169 — Jlaranm 56 '29 — Newtown. Library ™—. 138':, 135 — Northland —..~ 51 118 — Bcchabite Hall 299 , 273 Boamoath 51 42 1 St. -Mark's 103 91 '5 St. Thomas's 491 . 655 — Sydney Street 572 642 - Rnakon' Road ............. 77 91 1 Town Hall .: 647 710 ' - Tttrnbull's Rooms .....— 346 224 — Victoria HaU: 173 360 ; 3 SFadestown 77 180 2 Totals : „„i. 5270 6245 *20 Majority for Mr. Wilford 975 [•* Soma of the booths did not send in He number of informal votes recorded.] VOTES RECORDED. The numbers of valid votes recorded Sn reoeni elections for the Mayoralty, •and the the roll, have been i2B follow (There was no oontest in 3906)5---V • Valid Number Votes. on Roll. 1910.: 11,515 31,878 1909 13,406 . 30,146 1908 14,816 28,682 ■ 1907 L 8,621 21,162 1905—. ; 9,695. 19,703 The following are the totals polled iby the candidates at the last election <Dr. 4523; .T. M. Wilford, 4239; F. M. B. Fisher; 3208; Hon. J. ißigg, 824 ; F. 6. Bolton, 616.

AFTER THE POLL. MR. WTLFOBD'S SPEECH. > 25r. Wilford was badly applauded when he commenced to speak, after the result was tnown, from the balcony of the "New Zealand' Times" offioe. Be said that he hardly knew low to thank the citizens for the confidence • which they had. placedin • him. He wished from the bottom of his fcoarfc to thank those generous supporr ten'who. ot their own-initiative, and from no motive but kindly ieeling;; towards him, r had placed him in the jproud position of Mayor. It had been :a lons fight. After his first contest he had promised that he would keep jgoing nntdl he won, and he had taken rpast defeats as stepping-stones on the way to victory. He desired to express tis best thanks to his organising secretary, Mr. Kember, and to his two ' sisters, for their arduous work during the campaign; He had one regret, tha);' his wife,- who had ■ fought with him in four former contests, could not be there to stand by his side. He would, if hei had an opportunity', cable the news to her that evening. Mr. .Wilford also returned thanks to his committee, and all-those workers who had 'helped him, - and to the papers ■which had. supported him in the campaign. His opponent, he added, had not won, but someone must always Jose. He had : been in the position, Mr. Crawford was in now on four former occasions, and could , appreciate and . sympathise with . Mr. Crawford's- feelings, because he had been through the mill himself. He desired to thank the six thousand odd electors, who had polled for him, arid he hoped that while he held, the reins of the civic administration of this great city he wopld be able so to carry out the duties of the Mayoral office that those who had pledged 'themselves to vote against him- on this occasion would see ; fit to support him at' the next election, and believe that he had the ability to carry out the duties of the Mayoralty. He understood that the position was no ginccuro, that it needed hard work and close attention, but the study he had given' to municipal politics during the last seven years would be of immense service'to him, and ho felt'sure that he wonld have the sympathy and support of the general public of Wellington. He fonnd the same people around him who had supported him for seventeen years, ill eleven elections, .since he first stood for the suburbs

seat in 1893. He must endeavour in the future to show that apart from being a mail of words he was a man of doeds. Ho asked them, in conclusion, to join with' him in giving three hearty cheers for his opponent, . who , had fought a good fight, \ and was in the position which, one of them had to occupy. He' desired to extend to him the hand of good-fellowship—(ap-plause)—and let pass away all that had occurred* in the course of the election. In his opinion, the man who won did not desire to exult over the man who failed, but rather ho should, be as humble as possible. He asked them to join with .him in giving hearty cheers for his defeated opponent. Tho cheers were given very heartily. Speaking from the /-'Evening. Post" balcony, Mr. Wilford said'he wished to return thanks especially to the workers of Wellington, to whom he largely attributed his success. He had had.no huge amount of wealth at the back of him, but his-record had shown that he was fair to . the workers. They would see, the municipal franchise widened in the future in this and every city. It was difficult now ( to say who was a ratepayer and who was not a ratepayer. He 'thought that -if a man was fit to ,vote for the election of a member of Parliament lie was'fit to vote for the election of a Mayor. A differentiation might be made • when it came to voting on loan but as regards the Mayoralty, the time had come when the franchise should be,extended, and tho question of its extension would have his support at'the Municipal Conference to be held this-year, over which he would have the honour to preside. He thought he was right in saying that the dimensions. of • the voting at this election showed that at last people j were waking up to an interest in civic affairs. Under the present obsolete law | there was no machinery for the purging

of the electoral roll, and it would be his duty to see that some machinery was adopted-in order that: the rolk might be.;made an effective one. At . the conclusion lof his speech Mr.; Wilford called for cheers' for his opponent, and also for those who - had supported him. The cheers were generously given. : ' ...

R/TCMARTCR BY MR. CRAWFORD. Mr. Crawford, who had a most cordial reception, said thai he had had many years of municipal experience. This was, however, the first time that he had entered upon a bio contest such as the present one. Although lie had been' beaten ho could at least take the credit of having put up a record as a new contestant for, the honour. (Applause.) His total'of over 5000 votes was nearly 1000 more than had been secured-by the successful candidate at the previous election. (Loud applause.) He •wished, as the defeated candidate, to be the first to congratulate Mr. Wilford on his victory. (Applause.) In conclusion, Mr. Crawford returned his best thanks to those_ who bad worked so strenuously on his behalf • during the'election. 1 (Applause.) Once again he wished to congratulate Mr. Wilford on his success.

Upon the call of Mr. Crawford,'three hearty' cheers were-then given .for Mr. Wilford. '

THE NEW MAYOR. • Mr. Thomas Mason Wilford is i the only son of the late Dr. J. G. F. Wil-. ford; of the Lower Hutt, and was born in that district,in 1870. In 1893 he unsuccessfully ' contested. tie Wellington Suburbs seat for Parliament against Dr. Newman. Three years later he defeated the Hon. T. W. Hislop for the same seat, but was . unseated on a petition. In 1900 he was returned for the seat' and in 1903, when the electoral districts were rearranged, he was returned for the Hutt electorate, which he has since represented. In 1909 he was elected Chairman of Committees, an office he promised to resign ,if elected Mayor. He has just concluded a term' as chairman of the Wellington Harbour Board, and has also just completed a term as president of the Wellington Savage Club. Mr. Wilford married a daughter, of the Hon. George McLean, of Dunedin. Mrs. Wilford is at present on a visit to the Old Country.

EASTBOURNE. MB. H. W. SHORTT RETURNED. The polling record was a very fair one for Eastbourne. The voting continued steadily throughout the day, the buJk of the votes —nearly two to one— being recorded at the city booth. Mr. Shortt was elected by a very substantial majority. The voting, was as follows :— ■ InforShorfct Hobbs. mal. In town. 154 73 2 Eastbourne ••• 86 '58 ' — ' 240 Kl 2 Majority for Mr. Shortt, 109. Mr. Herbert.'William' Shortt was born in Essex 33 years ago, and came to New Zealand with his parents as an infant. He was educated at the Mount Cook Boys' School, and has resided in the Wellington/ district over sinco, _ during which time ho has been associated with, his father's-, business in Willis Street. He was a resident of Eastbourne before it was known as such, in the days when the now prosperous settlement was merely ' a resort for week-enders. With his father, Mr! W.. F. Shortt, he has been keenly interested in the development of the district, and .when the place--was.- -eonstk

tuted a borough he was elected to a seat on the council, '.which he occupied until' last year, ■ when he conested the Mayoralty and was beaten by ten votes by Mr. John Barr. Mr. Shortt is a leading spirit in the Eastbourne Bowl- . ing Club and the Eastbourne Savage Club.