THE OFFICIAL COUNT.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 296, 14 December 1922, Page 4

THE OFFICIAL COUNT.

COMPLETED TO-NIGHT. LIQUOR COUNT COMMENCED. Further official counts continue to come to hand, and it is unlikely that the complete returns for the whole' of the eighty electorates will be available until to-night, when the write have to be in Wellington. With the official count of votes cast in the Parliamentary issue out of the way the electoral officers and their staffs are now engaged on the official counting of the voting on the liquor issues. No further particulars of the aggregate votes recorded have been received since Monday, when National Continuance had a majority of 16.138, with some 16,000 votes still to come. The issue is perfectly clear, however; Prohibition cannot be carried under any circumstances. Additional results are: — AUCKLAND PROVINCE. MARSDEN. A. J. Murdoch (I.) 3752 W. -fones (R.) 3616 Informal 95 Majority for Murdoch.... 136 Of the absentees' and seamen's Totes Jones received 92 and Murdoch 89. Total votes cast 7463. AUCKLAND EAST. J. A.Lee(L.) 5226 C. N\ Mackenzie (R.) 4511 Majority for Lee........ 715 AUCKLAND WEST. M. J. Savage (L.) 5«94 J. Fsrrell (R.) 4345 Majority for Savage .... 1349 PARNELL. J. S. Dickson (R) 4789 S. M. Wren (R) 2465 O. Mcßrine (L.) 2282 W. Noton (Lib.-Lab.) 1240 Majority for Dickson .... 2324 ROSKILL. V. H. Potter (R.) 4838 A. Hall Skelton (Lib.-Lab.).. 2831 Miss Melville (R.) 1617 J. Purtell (L.) 1481 Majority for Potter 2007 HAMILTON". J. A. Young (R.) 5173 A- S. Richards (L.) 3136 L. Lafferty (Lib.-Lab.) 486 Majority for Young 2037 SOUTHERN RESULTS. Otaki.—W. J. Girling (R.) defeated R. McCallum (Lib.) by 186. Riccarton.—G. Witty (I.) defeated H S. Kyle (R.) by 235. I Kaiapoi.—Hon. Buddo (Lib.Lab.) defeated D. Jones (R) by 65. Otaki.—W. Held (R.) defeated S. H McClure (Lib.Lab.) by 68. FARMERS KEENLY INTERESTED. (By Telegrapn.—rress Ansocla tton.i WANGANUI, this day. Interviewed last night regarding the political situation, Mr. Poison, Dominion President of the Farmers' Union, saiu the elections have created a situation which, failing another general election, must be regarded by all producers with grave concern. Mr. Poison discusses various possibilities in the political shuffle, none of which to him appear satisfactory and concludes:—"lt seems probable that under these circumstanced our organisation will be compelled to take a. more active interest in party politics than it has hitherto done if we are not going to allow ourselves to be overlooked in the political card shuffling of the next few months. It may be necessary—and I wish to point out the possibility—to seriously consider the question during the next few weeks and make i: clear that we are a united body with very decided views. There is. of 'course, still the alternative of another election. Sucii a contest would Ik- under a \ery different set of conditions and mignt necessitat' very definite ami-in if our interest- .ire .not to be sUH further sacruficed."