THE BY-ELECTION.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4414, 15 May 1922, Page 2

THE BY-ELECTION.

HEAVY AND CLOSE POLLING. VICTORY FOR MR. LEACH. t Mr D.. Leach secured a victory- <it the Paeroa Borough Council by-elec-:, tion. held on Friday, to fill the Vacancy caused by he resignation of Cr,. A. White. There were only two candidates, Mr Leach and Mr J. W. Sil-' cock, the voting being on the preliminary count: D. Leach — • — — 267 J. W. Silcock — — 239 Majority ' 28 A feature, of the election was the' remarkably heavy polling for a by-' election, over 500 people having registered their votes. This targe number came as a surprise to most people. Throughput the day cars were busily engaged bringing people v> and from the booth, and the town looked rather more brisk than usual. It was also freely remarked before the election that had it been a general instead of. merely a by-election both/ candidates would have been elected, easily. The voting proved that these expressions were genuine, and not merely idle talk.-Many people regertted being obliged to vote against one of the candidates. Mr Leach is to be congratulated upon his victory, and, under the circumstances, Mr Silcock’s failure to secure th? seat, though a defeat in the ordin&ry sense of the - word., was more of a misfortune for the electors because they could not put both men on the. Council. The heavy polling shewed that both men stand high in the estimation of '.the community. The polling was conducted by the Town Clerk (Mr P. C. Furley), assisted by Messrs R. W. Evans, C. B. Gentil, and G. 0. Allen. It is a sufficient tribute to the expeditious manner in which the poll was conducted to state that the booth closed at 7 p.m, and the results werp out at 7.20.