Elected
J. O. Smith | Unionist Party | 430 |
James Stringer | Unionist Party | 418 |
*Joseph Murdock | Liberal Party | 286 |
Arthur Weetman | Unionist Party | 279 |
Not Elected
J. Keartland | Liberal Party | 274 |
Richard Eykyn | Independent | 269 |
H. E. Jepson | Liberal Party | 234 |
Arthur Street | Liberal Party | 205 |
William Riley | Liberal Party | 159 |
*denotes retiring member
Electorate 1000
Turnout 727 (72.7%)
THREE NEW MEMBERS ELECTED
There was very little excitement or interest towards this election until after 6 o’clock in the evening. It was then that the workmen were bought along in many types of contraptions to register their votes. Up until then voters were strolling up in half hour intervals.
Liberal, Joseph Murdock, was standing for re-election and it is probable that he was re-elected due to his good work on the sewage farm in Dalehouse Lane. Strangely though, he polled 58 fewer votes than in 1897, when he failed to be elected. The other three elected members; Smith, Stringer and Weetman are new to the council.
One noticeable absentee on the KUDC will be the late Henry Street who died in October last year. He was 75 years-old. He had been on the council since its inception and had been a member of the Local Board before that. Cllrs Holmes and Pears did not seek re-election, both having been on the council for the past three years.
On the following day, outside the council house in Upper Rosemary Hill, the declaration was made at 11.45am by returning officer, Mr J. J. Willington-Wilmshurst, in front of about 50 people.
At the first meeting of the new council on 24th April, two names were put forward as chairman for the forthcoming year, Kemp-Bourne and Jackson. Kemp-Bourne was duly elected by 6 votes to 4.
KUDC Councillors
6 Unionists/Conservatives (E. Hodges, J. Nelson, E. Bourne, A. Weetman, J. Smith, J. Stringer)
3 Liberals (J Murdock, J. Jackson, W. James)
3 Independents (E. Gee, G. Bostock, J. Welsh)
Council Clerk – Mr J. J. Willington-Wilmshurst