HEAVY SET-BACK FOR LABOUR IN LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26623, 20 November 1947, Page 8

HEAVY SET-BACK FOR LABOUR IN LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS

VOTING IN DUNEDIN Citizens’ Sweeping Victory FULL TICKET ON COUNCIL Control of Other Bodies The almost complete rejection ■of Labour was the outstanding feature of the elections yesterday for Dunedin City local bodies. . the sitting Mayor, Mr D. C. Cameron, was elected with a majority of more than 12,000 over his Labour opponent, Mr E. F. Jones, and in the contests for City Council, Harbour Board and Hospital Board only one Labour candidate was successful. The entire Citizens’ “ ticket ” was elected to the City Council, on which Labour previously held six of the twelve seats. Among the Labour candidates who were defeated were three local members of Parliament, one of whom, Mr R. Walls, topped the poll at the 1944 election. The honour of heading the poll on this occasion went to a new candidate, Mr E. J. Anderson. Labour’s defeat was just as complete in the contest for the five city seats on the Otago Harbour Board, all five Citizens’ candidates being elected. At the previous election Labour had won three of the five seats, and the two Labour members who were seeking re-election were heavily defeated. » The Labour chairman of the Otago Hospital Board, Dr D. G. McMillan, retained his seat, though he ranked last of the successful candidates. He will be the only Labour member of the board, as the Labour candidates for the country and suburban seats were all defeated. The six Citizens’ candidates who gained seats on the board included four who will be members for the first time. In suburban elections Labour also finds itself in a minority. Though the Independent vote for the St. Kilda Mayoralty was split, the Labour candidate was defeated, and only one Labour man, who ranked ninth on the list, gained a place on the Borough Council. At Port Chalmers Labour won four of the ten seats on the council, and reputed Labour supporters form only. a small minority on the Green Island Council, for which there was a keen contest. The polling for a Wednesday; election was lighter in the city than was expected, only 32,252 electors out of a total of 49,634 on the roll voting. In 1944, when the election was held on Saturday, May 27, 31,371 votes were cast of a possible total of 44,222. This year 65.5 per cent, of the electors on the roll voted, compared with 70.9 per cent, in 1944. • • ', '•' '