MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1704, 26 April 1917, Page 2

MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

The municipal elections throughout the Dominion were held yesterday. Locally a poll was only necessary to fill the nine seats on the Borough Council, for which twelve nominations were received, the Mayor being returned unopposed, and there being only two nominations for the two seats to be filled on the Foxton Harbour Board. The ratepayers and residents yesterday evinced very little interest in the contest, only 40.81 per cent of those on the roll taking the trouble to record their votes. The number on the roll was 900, and of this number only 371 voted. At the last election there were 1,018 names on the roll, and 544 votes were cast, representing 53.40 per cent, of those on the roll. In 1913 the roll contained 1,038 voters, and 735, representing 70.80 per cent, of these recorded their votes. These figures go to prove that interest in municipal matters locally is getting less each election. Yesterday one or two cars were running, bringing voters to the poll, but outside of these, the candidates took no stops to see that electors cast their votes. The polling booth closed at 7 p.m., and two hours later the Returning Officer announced the result of the poll, as under: — COLEY 293 WALKER 277 THOMPSON 251 STEVENSON .... 238 HENDERSON . .. 230 HURLEY 218 McCOLL 218 Me MU BRAY 209 BRYANT 198 All elected. KEMPSTER 192 SIMMONS 189 READ 133 When the poll was declared there were only a few electors present. Crs. Walker, Stevenson, Hurley and McMurray, and the Mayor elect, Mr 4. Chrystall, returned thanks for their election. The following are the numbers of the votes polled by candidates at yesterday’s poll at the elections of 1913 and 1915; — Coley (1913) 537, (1915) 307; Henderson (1913) 550, (1915) 397; Read (1913) 339. (1915) 180; Thompson (1915) 361; Stevenson (1915) 303; McColl (1915) 360; Bryant (1915) 344; Kempstcr (1915) 250; Simmons (1915) 285.