LABOUR RETAINS SEAT

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 13680, 12 February 1945, Page 2

LABOUR RETAINS SEAT

WESTERN Maori BY - ELECTION Substantial Majority p ot Ratana Jones Offers Only \ Opposition ' - \ By a substantial majority of R . votes. Labour retained the ' ern Maori seat, made van,,* , nr h. t. Ra , by-election on Saturday when " Labour-Rataua candidate. M r v Ratana. polled well over half votes cast. The only opposition of anv count was offered by Mr p e f imii Jones (Independent), who supported by the King mov J* and the National Partv u • • He re. ceived 2sGo votes. Voting at the Tauranga booth at the Town Hall supper roonK was no indication of the final " suit. This is evidenced by theV that at Tauranga, Maharaia Winiay Piahana, of Tauranga (Independ ent) received the greatest amount of support, being credited with j { of the 19 9 votes cast at the booth Ratana was second choice, with th Maoris voting in this town, Polled only 5 2 votes, while ’ j OD(J was well down in the list with five votes. It was only to be expected that Piahana would poll well in thh district, as he is well-known i 6 Tauranga, especially to the Judea Maoris.

Though several of (he remainine candidates are from this district they polled poorly at the Tau'rauga booth. Of these, Pepiri Reweti of Tauranga (Independent) polled 19 votes, Takuntaru Roetana Tupaea i( Richard Rolleston) of Katikati (Maori People’s Labour) 21, and Kaponga Erueti, of Kai-Iwl (Independent Labour) 1, while Rehe Parene Rewi (Maniapoto Amohanga, of Hangatiki (Independent) and’ Reha Kau Hon, of Te Aroha (Independent) received no support at all. Voting at the Tauranga booth was as folloAVs: Piahana 86 Ratana .... -. : 52 Tupaea .... 21 Reiveti 15 Jones .... 5 Erueti 1 Kau Hou , .... 0 Amohanga - .... 0 Informal f ... '..... 15 Total .... 199 It had been forecast, in .many circles, prior to the election, that though the strength of the opposition Avould be from Jones, a change in the seat’s political representation was unlikely. A study of the voting figures of the 1943 election in the electorate and the strong and unquestioning loyalty of the Ratana-Labour political alliance, it Avas felt, Avould probably ensure Mr Ratana’s election. Voting in the electorate was as folloAvs:—• Ratana 4663 Jones 2863 Piahana 448 Tupaea 377 Amohanga - Reweti Erueti 74 kin Hou 40 These figures are not complete, one small booth being yet to come to hand.