SEAT RETAINED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 238, 21 July 1941, Page 3

SEAT RETAINED

THE WAITEMATA BY-ELECTION. MARGIN OF 420 VOTES. (P.A.) AUCKLAND, July 20. By a majority of 420 vote*s on the provisional count, Mrs M. M. Dreaver held the Waitemata seat for the Government- in the by-election on Saturday caused by the death in action in Crete of the -sitting Labour member, Captain W. J. Lyon. The lack of interest by the electorate apparent- tjhroughout the campaign was also shown in the polling, in which only 9300 votes were cast, compared with 13,000 in the 1938 General Election. Three of the five candidates will probably forfeit their deposits. The figures after the provisional count were: Mrs M. M. Dreaver (Government) 4059 W. B. Darlow (Independent) ... 3069 N. V. Douglas (Dem. Labour.) 908 P. R. Gardner (Independent) ... 398 H. T. Heat (Pan-New Zealand) 74 There are 176 seamen’s, absentee, and postal votes yet to lie counted, but they will not affect the result. Particulars of informal voting wore not available at the week-end, hut the percentage is stated to have been comparatively low. At. the 1938 General Election 13,469 votes were cast out of a total roll of 14,299. The result was: W. J. Lyon (sitting member) Labour, 780(3, J. E. Close (National) 5545. At the 1935 General Election 12,964 votes were east out of a total aoll of 14,139. The result was: W. J. Lyon (Labour) 6578, W. A. Donald (Democrat) 2045, J. Guiniven (Liberal) 252, A. Harris (National) sitting member, 389 4TWO WOMEN MEMBERS. COMMENT BY MON W. NASH. WELLINGTON, July 20. By the election of Mrs M. M. Dreaver to represent Waitemata, the House of Representatives has for the first time in its history two women members. The late Mrs Elizabeth McCombs was the first woman member, and at the last General Election the Wellington West seat was- won for Labour by Mrs C. C. S. Stewart, It is thought likely that the two women members, Mrs Stewart and Mrs Dreaver, will share a. double bench in the House. At present Mrs Stewart has a single seat. “The result of the Waitemata byelection is an endorsement of the policy of the Government,” said the Acting-Prime Minister (the Hon. W. Nash) to-night. “Parliament will be enriched by the presence of another woman member.”

Mrs Dreaver had had long and valuable experience in public life, Mr Nash said. She understood the difficulties of the working section of the community and the needs of all the people. Her ability to express her views was far above the normal, and would enable her to make valuable contributions to the debates in the House of Representatives particularly when subjects relating to the home, child life, and other topics concerning motherhood and women are being discussed. It would be a pleasure to welcome her Parliament. —.—-t THE OPPOSITION VIEWPOINT “HANDWRITING ON THE WALL” CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. ‘Two things stand out in the Waitemata by-election,” said the Leader or the Opposition, Mr S. G. Holland, in commenting on the result. “The first is the unexpectedly large vote and the second the heavy landslide against the Government.” In the 1938 election 59 out of every 100 voters voted for the Government, but on Saturday ,onlv 14 in each 100 still supported' the Government and its majority had been reduced from 2260 to 400. “Mrs Dreaver had the advantage or a battery- of the Labour Party’s front •line platform speakers, so it can he assumed that the Government scoreu nearly its full strength,” said Mr Holland. “The same applies to Mr Lee’s candidate. It can therefore he imagined what will happen to a majority ol 400 when the. National Party’s organisation swings into action. Following on the Waipawa by-olection and the municipal elections, the result lurruer demonstrates the pronounced swing in public opinion since 1938. Each election since then has made the writing on the Willi easier to road,” concluded Mr Holland.