The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER. 14, 1911

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3322, 14 September 1911, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER. 14, 1911

The Result of the Election.

A good deal of interest was manifested in connection with the municipal by-election yesterday. The polling, it will be seen, was somewhat heavier than ion the occasion, of the by-election earlier in the year. To account for this circumstance would be the fact that there was this time- anincreased number of candidates. We must congratulate Messrs Bright and Wilklish upon their success at the poll. The fact that Mr. Bright was unavoidably absent from the district might under ordinary circumstances have imitated against his chances of success. No stone, however, was left unturned by the huge, body of electors who had interested' themselves in his Candida-

turn As regards Mr. Bright, he will, it is certain, prove a- tower of strength to the Council. Not only has he financial skill in a special degree, hut he has a wide knowledge of municipal matters generally. There is one important direction in which his presence at the

Council table should be at once- felt. For some time—but not to nearly the same extent during the past feu months—there has been a tendency for the business before the Council to "drag.” Cr. Fright (as wo shall now again know him) does not believe in tbc wasting of time over the transaction of business. Himself an excellent chairman, he may, we feel, be depended upon to set an. example in the matter of what is l reasonable debate, which several of his new colleagues might do well to emulate. In Cr. "Wildish we have a highly esteemed citizen who has never before sat on. the Council. To have been successful upon his first attempt for municipal honours must indeed be reckoned a high compliment. ‘‘l am not a speaker,” he remarked after the contest, "but I can promise that I will tackle any work tliat is no be done on the Council in a resolute manner.” We have no doubt but that Cr. Wildish’s efforts on the Council will lie followed with considerable interest. Mr. Sheridan, it will lie seen', headed the list of unsuccessful candidates. That ho did not gain one of the vacant seats will no doubt prove a great disappointment to himself and his supporters, all of whom worked very hard for his return yesterday. For our own part we believe that Mr. Sheridan would have still further strengthened the Council in a very necessary direction. Nothing, however, would be gained in proceeding to discuss the probable reasons of his failure to secure re-elec-tion to the Council. His non-success yesterday would appear to be all the more striking in view of the very large number of votes cast in his favour on the occasion) of the Mayoral contest. As regards the Labour candidates, the extent of support accorded them must be considered very unsatisfactory by the members of their organisation. It was generally thought that Mr. Coleman especially would poll a very much higher number of votes. Under all the circumstances the only explanation which would appear to meet the case is that the electors generally are not enamoured of the Labour municipal platform. Although there was not a very wide margin of votes as between Mr. Coleman and Mr. Anderson, it would also seem tliat they did not have the snpport of nearly the whole of the local sympathisers with the Labour movement. This may be gathered from the fact that at the general municipal election—apart frem the late Cr. Jackson, who undoubtedly received support from various other sections of tlie community—Mr Richards reached a total of Sl2 votes. Coming down to the by-elec-ticoi which was occasioned by the sad death of Cr. Jackson, we next find that Air. Andersen was able to poll only 759 rotes. And wliat was the position yesterday? That Air. Coleman reached a total of only 554 rotes and Air. Andersen an aggregate of only 54S votes! Air. Simson, apparently, had not the advantage of such wide organisation as most of the other candidates. As regards Air. Wong King, nobody, we hope, ever seriously anticipated that he might occupy any other position than that at the bottom of tlie poll. That he came to poll as many as 134 votes is simply amazing. Now that the new Council has once again been brought up to its full strength," we trust that the business of the borough will proceed with all due expedition.