MISS HOWARD WINS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 32, 8 February 1943, Page 4

MISS HOWARD WINS

CHRISTCHURCH EAST SEAT MAJORITY OP 1809 VOTES (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, Sunday. By a majority of 1809 votes Miss Mabel Howard retained for the Labour party the Christchurch East seat in Parliament, left vacant by the death of Mr. Armstrong, whose majority over the National Party candidate in the general election of 1938 was 7179. The by-election was held yesterday, when 9076 electors out of an effective roll-of 14,835, cast their votes. The Democratic Labour Party, in its first venture in a South Island election, polled the second highest number of votes for its candidate, Mr. H. E. Herring. The National party nominee, Mr. M. E. Lyons, followed 270 votes behind Mr. Herring. The voting was as follows:— Miss Howard (Labour) 4280 H. E. Herring (Democratic Lab.) 2471 M. E. Lyons (National) 2201 L. A. Efford (Peace candidate) 105 O. J. McKee (Indep. Socialist) .. 19 Majority for Miss Howard . . 1809 Messrs. Efford and McKee forfeit their deposits. "I must say that I am not surprised at the result," said Miss Howard, in a broadcast. "I expected it, although a section of the. people did try to drive a wedge into the solid Labour vote." She thanked Messrs. Lyons and Efford for having fought such a clean fight. PRIME MINISTER'S COMMENT (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sunday. "The result is very satisfactory," said the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, when invited' to comment on the Christchurch East by-election. "Miss Howard will make an excellent member of Parliament. Such an endorsement of the Government's policy, both war and domestic, is very satisfactory," Mr. Fraser concluded. MR. IJEE CONFIDENT (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, Sunday. Commenting on the result of the Christchurch East by-election, Mr. J. A. Lee, M.P., said the committee responsible for the Democratic Labour campaign had more cause for congratulation than any of the other party .committees. "The first Democratic Labour venture resulted in the loss of our deposit," he continued. "This time our party polled splendidly, if not successfully. A transfer of 900 more votes from Labour to Democratic Labour on the present figures would have won the seat. This transfer will occur rapidly everywhere. Our party will be reorganised and will go forward at once," said Mr. Lee. "The Labour Party as constituted is doomed." OPPOSITION LEADER'S VIEWS (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, Sunday. "The outstanding feature of the Christchurch East by-election is the landslide of public opinion against the Government," said the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Holland, in an interview this evening. "To record only 41 per cent of its 1938 vote and to have the third largest majority in New Zealand of over 7000 votes converted into an actual minority of 500 is something to cause the Prime Minister furiously to think. In a desperate effort to retrieve its fastwaning popularity the Labour party threw its heaviest artillery into the campaign. In I*3B Labour recorded 76 per cent of the total votes cast, but on Saturday it received less than 50 per cent. "Notwithstanding that a third candidate was in the field to divide the non-Government vote on x Saturday, the National party actually scored a slightly increased percentage of the total votes cast than it did in 1938 and this in one of the very strongest Labour constituencies in New Zealand."