PARTY SUPPORT

POLLING ANALYSED COMPARISON WITH 1938 A provisional count of the voting for Saturday's general election shows that 831,080 people exercised their right in the 70 European electorates. This figure is by no means complete. Various returns from isolated polling places have still to be received, and, by the time the official count has been completed, and has included the at present unknown total of seamen's, absentee and postal votes, the poll will probably be higher than that for 1935's bitterly-fought election., Then 834,682 votes were cast. In 1938, the total was 924,057. Although it is subject to change, Saturday's provisional count provides the opportunity for some interesting analyses. It shows the complete failure of all but the Government and Opposition parties to win more than negligible support. The Independents; Democratic Labour, People's Movement, Real Democracy Movement, and odds and ends of other and unsponsored candidates together aggregated less than 10 per cent of the provisional count. Only one of these candidates, and he was the sitting member, Mr. H. Atmore. Nelson, won a seat.

The Party Percentages The following table shows the division of votes between the parties and groups and the percentage each gained of the total provisional poll: Votes Per cent Labour . . • . 393,005 47,36 National . . .. 350,911 43.31 Democratic Labour . 36,599 4.40 Independents .. 28,008 3.38 People's Movement . 7,389 0.89 Heal Democracy .. 4,421 0.53 Others . . .. 1,057 0.13 Totals . . . . 831,080 100.00 In the last election, the provisional count gave Labour 475,167 votes, or 55.56 of the total, so that it has been reduced by more than 8 per cent. The National vote at the 1938 provisional count was 351,287, or 41.05 per cent, giving it an increase of more than 2 per cent. Proportional Representation Dividing the total votes cast on Saturday by the number of seats would give an average electorate of 10,935. Taking this as a quota would give the Bar ties the following representation for le European seats, compared with that provisionally returned:— Proportion Returned Labour . . 36 40 National .. .. 33 35 Independents 3 1 Democratic Labour 3 0 Others .. 1 0 Totals . . 76 70 A further analysis of the voting on Saturday, compared with the_ provisional count for 1938, is shown in the following table: — 1943 1938 Variation Labour .. 393,605 475,167 -81,562 National .. 359,911 351,287 5 +8,624 Independents .. 28,098 29,173 -WIS Democratic Labour 36,599 Other groups, such as Communist, Liberal and Liberal Labour, which contested seats in 1938, disappeared completely at this election, but were replaced by others, such as the People's Movement and Real Democracy Movement. The aggregate vote for these was 12.847. TOWN AND COTTNTBY COMPARISON OF TOTALS A comparison of the totals of votes cast in urban electorates comprising the four metropolitan areas, including suburbs, and those cast in electorates outside the four centres discloses that there was a majority for Labour in the former and for National in the latter. A similar result is shown jf electorates containing the larger provincial centres are added to the urban electorates and omitted from those classed as rural. It is evident, therefore, that Labour enjoyed a preponderance of support in tliose electorates in which industrial workers outnumber those engaged in rural pursuits. The figures are as follows: — Urban electorates (four metropolitan areas and suburbs). —Labour, 201,320; National, 144,495; majority for Labour. 56,825. Areas outside of the four centres.— Labour, 192,229; National 221,665; majority for National, 29,436. TJrban electorates, including provincial centres (Gisborne, Hamilton, Hastings, Invercargill, Masterton, Nelson, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Timaru, Napier and Wanganui).— Labour, 266,558: National, 188.833; majority for Labour, 77,725. Rural electorates. —Labour, 132,699; National, 166,421; majority for National, 33.722.

BATTLE OF BOMBOE JAPANESE TRICKS FAIL SYDNEY, Sept. 22 Uniforms stuffed with straw were used by Japanese in an attempt to lure Americans into machine-gun ambushes in the Battle of Bomboe, in the Solomons, says a Sydney Sun correspondent. Bomboe is a village on Arundel Island, which is between New Georgia and Kolombangara. The battle waa fought for 10 days in dense jungle and mangrove swamps. The Japanese used all their tricks, but the Americans, who had captured Rendoya near by and had traversed the trail to Munda, knew the answers. They split up into small units, infiltrated into the Japanese positions and wiped the enemy out group by group. Conquest of Arundel Island is nearly complete, the correspondent says. The Japanese made one counter-attack which failed after a heavy machine-gun and mortar duel. The Americans are now mopping up.