MR GRIGG ELECTED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 14, 27 October 1938, Page 6

MR GRIGG ELECTED

THE MID-CANTERBURY SEAT. MAJORITY OF SEVENTY-FOUR. ABSENTEE AND POSTAL VOTES COUNTED. COMPLETE FIGURES ANNOUNCED The final figures of voting in the MidCanterbury Parliamentary election were announced by the Returning Officer (Mr J. W. Pooley) to-day. Mr A. N. Grigg, the National candidate, was declared elected, with a majority of 74 votes over the sitting Labour member, Mr H. E. Herring, his majority on the figures announced on the night of the election being 48, with over 780 votes still to be counted. Details of the votes cast are: Mr Grigg 5504 Mr Herring 5430 Informal 34 Majority for Grigg ... 74 Absentee votes—' Grigg 257, Herring 264, informal 2. Postal votes— Grigg 119, Herring 96, informal 0. Declaration votes— Grigg 2, Herring 4, informal 0. The final absentee vote did not reach the Returning Officer until this morning, being forwarded by mail. In view of the general interest aroused by the closeness of the contest and the length of time that had elapsed since the polling, Mr Pooley last evening made an unofficial announcement of the figures. Mr Grigg had then a majority of 75, tho absentee voting being: Grigg 257, Herring 263. The last vote was in favour of Mr Herring. The result had been anxiously awaited for some days, but the necessity for checking up on the large number of postal and absentee votes delayed the final count; Scores of inquiries for the official figures were received at the “Guardian” office throughout yesterday wlien it was known that the count would be completed in a matter of hours.

The result spread with astonishing rapidity throughout the Borough and the County, the telephone being brought into use by interested people within a few minutes of the unofficial declaration at 6.45 last evening.

THE TEMUKA ELECTORATE. MR BURNETT RETAINS MAJORITY The official count of votes in the Temuka Electorate was completed yesterday, Mr T. D. Burnett (National) having a majority of 1249 votes over the Labour candidate, Mr J. A. Kearton. The official figures are: T. D. Burnett 5494 J. A. Kearton 4245 Informal 28 Majority for Burnett . 1249 Absentee votes— Burnett 183, Kearton 225. Postal votes— Burnett 98, Kearton 83. Declaration votes— Burnett 4, Kearton 1. Two outstanding features of the poll were the number of votes east and the low informal figure. Of 10,136 on the roll, 9767 votes, leaving only 369 nonvoters in the electorate. At only 16 out of 72 booths were informal votes recorded. The scrutiny of the roll was completed on Saturday. In all, 11 cases of apparent plural voting were noted, but these have teen investigated and no actions will be necessary. Most of the irregularities were the errors of poll clerks, and in one or two cases similarity of names of voters caused names to be struck off on two rolls. OTHER OFFICIAL RETURNS. Further final returns in connection with the general election have been announced by the Press Association. In the following list the sitting member is denoted by an asterisk: Nelson. *H. Atmore (Independent) 6092 J. R, Kerr (Nat.) 5206 Majority for Atmore 886 Buller. *P ; C. Webb (Lab.) 7976 T. O. Maddison (Nat.) 1832 Majority for Webb 0144 Kaiapoi, *C. Morgan Williams (Lab.) ... 6353 G. C. Warren (Nat.) 4813 Majority for Williams 1535 Raglan. *W. Lee Martin (Lab.) 5062 A. S. Sutherland (Nat.) 4458 A. G. Gallichnn (Tnd.) H 5 Majority for Lee Martin ... 604 Remuera. *W. P. Endean (Nat.) 9605 Mrs Drearer (Lab.) 6744 Majority for Endean 2861

Onehunga. *A. G. Osborne (Lab.) 9412 J. Park (Nat.) 5098 Majority for Osborne 4314 Otahuhu. 0. R. Petrie (Lab|) 7020 Iv. B. Tennent (Nat.) 4753 Majority for Petries 2267 A new electorate. Manawatu. J. G. Cob be (Nat.) 6245 *C. L. Hunter (Lab.) 4601 Majority for Cob be 1644 Auckland East. *F. W. Schramm (Lab.) 8887 H. T. Merritt (Nat.) 6261 Majority for Schramm 2626 Egmont. *C. A. Wilkinson (Ind.) 5063 T. E. Trask (Lab.) 3661 Majority for Wilkinson .... 1402 Wanganui. *J. F. B. Cottcrill (Lab.) 8630 H. C. Vcitch (Nat.) 4710 Majority for Cotterill ...... 3920 Wairarapa. *B. Roberts (Lab.) 5293 J. F. Thompson (Nat.) 4516 Majority for Roberts 777 A RECOUNT APPLIED FOR. MR BARNES AT WAITAKI. CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Mr D. Barnes, the defeated Labour candidate for the Waitaki seat, lias lodged an application for a. Magisterial recount of the votes east in bis electorate at the general election. Mr Barnes, who held tho Waitaki seat for the Government in the last Parliament, was unseated at the election by the National Party candidate, Mr D. C. Kidd, who obtained a majority of 10 votes on the official count. This was a reduction of 52 votes on the majority lie was credited with at the preliminary count.