TEN IN DOUBT

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 230, 28 September 1943, Page 4

TEN IN DOUBT

ELECTION COUNT

INCOMPLETE RETURNS

Not six seats, but at least ten — including Waitemata — are now believed to be in doubt as the result of the preliminary count of votes on Saturday night for the 76 European seats in the House of Representatives. The seats are Oamaru, Eden, Raglan, New Plymouth, Otaki, Wairarapa, Waitemata, Hamilton, Nelson and Motueka. In each instance the majority of the leading candidate is between four and 226 votes. When the official count is completed next week and the postal, declaration, absent, seamen's and servicemen's votes are added to the totals the state of parties may undergo a change. The position at the moment (including four Maori constituencies) is:— Labour Party 44 National Party 35 Independent 1

As far as the Auckland metropolitan seats are concerned Waitemata, held by Mrs. Dreaver for Labour, and Eden, held by Mr. Anderton for the same party, are the only seats likely to be affected ■ by the official count. In each of these electorates over 1000 postal, seamen, declaration and absent votes have to be counted, and also unknown numbers of additional servicemen's votes. Returning officers have not yet received all the postal and absentee votes so far, but advice has been received that 641 absentee votes were applied for in respect to the Waitemata constituency, and at noon to-day 306 postal votes had come to hand. Declaration votes are known to approximate 50, and seven seamen's rights were issued. For Eden 664 absentee votes have been notified from various electorates, and the postal votes received so far are between 250 and 300. Seamen's rights number 13, and declaration votes are between 50 and 60. According to a Press Association message from Wellington, Mrs. Dreaver, the' sitting Labour member for Waitemata, is 121 votes behind the National candidate, Mr. H. T. Morton. With so many votes still to be counted, the result could easity be altered either way, although at the 1938 election the majority of absent, declaration, postal and seamen's votes were cast in favour of the Labour candidate. Captain Lyon. These votes were: Labour party, 511; National party, 369.

Other Seats The sitting Labour member, Mr. Anderton, is heading the poll for the Eden seat by a small majority of 50, according to the preliminary count on Saturday night, but a message from Wellington gives his majority as 98. This is another instance of a seat which might go one way or the other as the result of the official count. At the last general election there were 859 absent, declaration, postal and seamen's votes polled. Of these Mr. Anderton received 446, the National candidate 405, and an Independent eight. For- the Raglan seat the Labour candidate, Mr. R. Coulter, is at the head of the preliminary count with a majority of 52. The absent, declaration, postal and seamen's votes polled in 193S were: For Labour 349, for the National party 226. The preliminary count places the sitting Labour member for Hamilton, Mr. Barrell, 241 votes behind Mr. F. Findlay, the National partv candidate. At the 1938 election 995 absent, declaration, postal and seamen's votes were cast, the Labour member receiving 545 and the National candidate 440.

Closest Contests The closest contest on the preliminary count places the Minister of Health, Mr. Nordmeyer, in a minority r. of four for the Oamaru seat, the L 1 leading candidate being a Nationalist, l j Mr. T. R. Beatty. There were Sl7 o tbsent, postal, declaration and seas men's votes polled in 1938. Mr. Norde meyer receiving 453 and the National 0 candidate 364. New Plymouth provided the n second closest contest. Mr. E. P. 1 Aderman, National party candidate, s leading the sitting Labour member, s Mr. Frost, by 37 votes on the pre--3 liminary count. In 1938, 828 absent, 3 declaration, postal and seamen's j votes were allocated as follow:— Labour, 413; National, 415. 1 The absent, declaration, postal f and seamen's votes in the remainder of the seats considered doubtful ' were as follow, the leading candidate and his designation and majority being given in parentheses m each instance:— ; Otaki (Mr. Lowry, Labour, 62): - Labour, 482; National, 311. i- Wairarapa, (Mr. Roberts, Labour, • 87): Labour, 373; National. 267. , r,M e^son Atmore, Independent, • 186): Independent, 482; National • 408. Motueka (Major Skinner, Labour, 226): Labour, 378; National, 290.