HAURAKI DRAINAGE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5118, 27 April 1927, Page 2

HAURAKI DRAINAGE.

TRUSTEES FOR UNITED DISTRICT.

FIRST BOARD ELECTION

HORAHIA MEN ELECTED.

Yesterday w.as held the first election of trustees for the Hauraki United Drainage District. There were four polling booths, atTurua, Kopuarahi. Loueh’s, and Carter’s and the final figures are as follows :—

The trustees elected are : Messrs F. A. Kneebone, J. C. Miller., S. S. Murray, W. McDuff, J. M. Thompson, F. L. Hamilton, and H. Hicks. Ever since the amalgamation of the Horahia and Hauraki drainage districts was ordered by the Government as the result of the Commission which inquired into the matter, great interest has been taken in the election of trustees. At first there were merely the two parties—Hauraki and Horaiji.a—each aiming to secure a majority on the new board, but latterly there have been many splits. The position changed from day to day; tickets were announced and alliances formed, only to be broken up as different factions gained strength or different rumours were circulated. Thus, when the nominations were announced careful observers of the petition were able, to pick the winners with some, degree of unanimity, but as time went on the result became more doubtful, and just prior to the poll it was agreed that the forecasting of the election was practically an impossibility. It is regrettable that the idea of selecting the seven best administrators should be subordinated to petty local interests, and that “plump ’ voting, which so facilitates this practice, is allowable by law. “Plumping” must have prevailed to a great ttxtent, for there, are over 300 landholders in the united dr.ainage district, and every landholder could have exercised a vote, for there, was no disfranchisement for the non-payment of rates. The great Interest taken in the election and the activities of the various parties almost assured that every possible vote would be exercised, and allowing an average of two papers to each elector, 4200 votes would have been recorded had each elector voted for the full seven candidates. The number of votes recorded by the candidates totalled 2307 only. Of the fourteen candidates Messrs Gray, Jas. Hamilton, Heappey, and Mules were, members of tne late Hauraki Board, and Messrs Kneebone, McDuff, Miller, Murray, and Thompson were members of the late Horahia Board. Other candidates from the Hauraki District were Messrs. Madgwick and Treadaway, whijc Messrs. F. L.’ Hamilton, Hayward, and Hicks are residents in the late Horahia District, The return of seven Horahia District candidates was surprising as the wisdom of having a board more representative of the whole, of the United District was generally recognised.

T. K. L. c. Tl. F. A. Kneebone .75 75 89 21 260 J. C. Miller 108 79 48 12 247 S. S. Murray 108 78 43 12 241 Wnf. McDuff 54 7i 93 l6 234 J. M. Thompson 42 64 86 24 216 F. L. Hamilton no 45 16 IO 181 H. H. Hicks 94 57 19 6 176 Geo. Gray 123 3 5 27 158 Jas. Hamilton 98 2 4 21 125 R. H. Heappey 88 0 6 22 116 J. M. Mules 93 0 5 4 102 W. G. Hayward 44 20 25 IO 99 Wm. Madgwick 76 0 12 4 92 J. W. Treadaway 38 Informal J 13 5 1 55