MAORI BY-ELECTION

THE SOUTHERN SEAT

MR. TIRIKATENE RETURNED

AN INDEPENDENT MEMBER

The Southern Maori by-election yesterday resulted in the return of Mr. E. T. Tirikateue, the Independent candidate standing in. the interests of the Eatana Party. The seat was formerly held by a United Party member, Mr. T. Makitanara, whose death' precipitated the election, and it is thus lost by the Coalition Government. The official Coalition candidate, Mr. T. Parata, secured less than, half the number of votes accorded to Mr. Tirikatene, and was second in the poll.". The result of the count was declared last night by the Chief Electoral Officer (Mr. G. G. Hodgkins) as follows:— Eruera Tihema Tirikatene (Independent Eatana Party) ....;. 425 William Te Ihoka Parata (Official Coalition) .. 184 Peter Mac Donald (Independent) . 132 Joseph Beaton (Independent Coalitionist) ~\.-. 113 Tame Kaiporohu Bragg (Independent Bef orm) '. 94 "Wiremu Mihaka (Independent Coalitionist) 3 Total votes cast 951 Mr. Mihaka withdrew from the contest some days ago, but his nomination having been lodged hia name had, to be submitted to electors. In withdrawing, Mr. Mihaka urged his supporters to give their votes to the official Coalition candidate. . SOME POINTS OF INTEREST. It is many years since a poll in the small Southern Maori electorate resulted so decisively. Slender majorities have been the rule at least, for the past ten years. Another feature of the result which is of passing interest is the return of an Independent Maori. The tendency in the past has been for the election of the candidate supporting the party in power. Although the present balance of parties in the House is not critical, nevertheless ,there will be some interest in Mr. Tirikatene's first vote on a no-confidence motion. So far as-,can be gathered, he has not indicated during the campaign whether he will support the Coalition. Government, but it is understood that he made a "declaration in favour of the Government at one of the earlier polls in which he participated. The amended state of parties in the House is now as follows: —• v Coalition Eef orm ...... 29 Coalition United 20 Independent Coalition .. 1 Labour 24Independent 5 Country Party 1 Mr. Tirikatene has twice been narrowly defeated in contests for the Southern Maori seat. He stood in 1928, when he was defeated by the casting vote of the returning officer. He stood again in 1931, but was defeated by 15 votes. Mr. Tirikatene is a member of the Ngaitahei tribe, is 36 years of age, and was. educated at the Kaiapoi High School. After leaving school he was a cadet oa Mr. H. T. Little's station, "Hui Hui.'1 Hawarden. He used to be well Lnbwn in the North and South Islands as a rider at agricultural and pastoral shows, and was also prominent in athletics and Rugby football. Mr. Tirikatene left for the war with, the Second Beinforccments, and served in Egypt and France as a medical sergeant in the Maori Battalion. On returning to the Dominion he took up engineering, and after obtaining his marine engineer's certificate he became proprietor of the Port Levy-Lyttclton ferry service. For the past seven years he has been foreman at the engineering workshop at Eatana Pa, nearWanganui, ■