A KEEN CONTEST.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 29, 3 February 1915, Page 7

A KEEN CONTEST.

Voting is in progress to-day in connection with the Dunedin by-election, -and the result will be awaited with intense interest throughput the Dominion, as the Government's immediate fate hangs in the balance. At present the parties are quite ev.enly 4wdfd, the posjtipn j being as fplloWjS:-^ G-oversment 39 Opposition 39 Independent J Undecided (DunedinCentral) 1

The independent vote is thai; of Ta» Henare, M.P., for Northern Maori. Tan Henare's now famous reply. "I'll give you two guesses," when asked, after his election, which party he -would .support, has sin.cc beep amplified. Ip an interview with a ''Star" representative in Auckland recently, the irember for Northern Maori distinctly stated that Mr. Massey had no more claim upon his support than Sir Joseph Ward; that he had been elected a.n independent, and an independent he would remain until the House met. If the Opposition candidate is successful to-day, therefore, the Massey Government will be in a distinct minority.

When the pflieial result for Dunedin Central was first declared. Mr. Munro was declared to have been elected by one vote. The official recount increased his majority, the declaration being: — -T. W. Munro 3700 C. E. Statham 3791 Majority for Munro .. 8 A magisterial recount was then asked for, and it was discovered thr.t at the Caversham booth 110 ballot papers had been invalidated as tl)e result of a poll clerk's error —the voter's number haying having been written across the back of the voting paper instead of across the counterfoil. Unfortunately for Mr. (Munro 0!) of the Caversham vote* were lodged for him, as against 47 for Mr. SUitharo, nnd the result of these vote 3 being disallowed was to place Mr, Statham in the lead with a majority of 12. Under the circumstances, Mr. Statham very promptly and properly resigned. Hence the contest which is being so keenly fought to-day.