COALITION ENDORSED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 286, 3 December 1931, Page 8

COALITION ENDORSED.

FIFTY-ONE SEATS AGAINST 29. LABOUR PARTY INCREASED TO 24. ONE CABINET MINISTER DEFEATED. SURPRISES IN AUCKLAND-ROTORUA IN DOUBT. The Coalition forces, which in the expired Parliament numbered 52 members, were reelected to office and power in the general election yesterday with their strength only very slightly diminished. Including one which is doubtful, they have 5 1 seats. The Labour party, although it lost Raglan, increased its Parliamentary membership from . 20 to 24. Its new members were all elected by city or town constituencies. The Independent group was reduced to four, and the Country party retained its one member. One or two seats are still in doubt. In Rotorua Mr. C. H. Clinkard (Coalition United) has a lead of only eight votes on Mr. A. F. Moncur (Labour), with 517 absentee and postal votes yet to be counted. One Minister was unseated—the Hon. D. Jones (Coalition Reform, Mid-Canterbury), who was beaten by Mr. J. Connolly, a United supporter by 106 votes. Postal and absentee votes to come total 248. A member of the late United Ministry, Mr. W. B Taverner, was overwhelmingly defeated by Mr. F. Jones (Labour) for Dunedin South The Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Hon. Sir Charles Stathani, was re-elected tor Dunedin Central by only 91 votes. The scrutiny of the electoral rolls is being made to-day, and if that is completed by to-morrow the official count will start then.

In Auckland City one of the Coalition Whips, Mr. G. C. Munns, filled third place for Roskill, which was won, unexpectedly, V Mr. A. S. Richards (Labour), who finished up 1 73 votes ahead of Mr. W. J. Holdsworth (Independent). Auckland East was captured by Mr. F. W. Schramm (Labour), and Mr. J. A. Lee gained a striking victory in Grey Lynn. A feature of the voting throughout was the strong support accorded Labour in the cities. Qty returns being the earliest to arrive, the Labour and Coalition totals were for a time almost equal, but when the country returns came to hand the Coalition rapidly forged ahead. The complete returns show the Reform section of the Coalition slightly stronger than feefore. Labour also is stronger, while the strength of United has been weakened.