H LYTTELTON BY-ELECTION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XL, Issue 13251, 9 December 1913, Page 7

H LYTTELTON BY-ELECTION.

(Special to Herald.) 8 CHRISTCHURCH, this day. The forecasting of -election results is a generally as risky a process as tipping j the winner of a horse race, and the present contest. for the Lyttelton seat, which 0 takes place to-day is no exception to the 8 general rule. The general opinion seems \' to be, however, that the real contest will lie between the official Liberal candidate (Mr J. B. Laurenson), the Go- ; . vernment candidate (Mr M. J. Miller), [) and the Democracy or Red. Fed. canB didate (Mr J. McCombs.) Mr Lauren- ,. son is expected to poll a- very large ft share of the votes which^ during the last j fourteen years have provided suchhand- . some majorities for his brother, though his qualified adherence to the principle of tho freehold, which his brother stren--1 uously opposed, may lose him some of b the Liberal votes. Tlie party which Mr - McCombs represents has done by far tho most strenuous electioneering work m the present contest. Dr Thacker has s been prevented by illness from prosecutl" ing his campaign with his accustomed c breezy vigor, and Mr W. Radcliffe is n handicapped heavily by the fact that he •^ is not the official representative of his, '* party. A popular tip is Messrs Miller (Reform) and Laurenson (Liberal) to "* fight out the second ballot.