THE GENERAL ELECTION.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17634, 11 December 1922, Page 6

THE GENERAL ELECTION.

OAMARU SEAT. RESULT STILL IN DOUBT. (press association telegram.) OAMARU, December 10. The latest figures for the Oamaru seat give Mr J. A. Macpherson (Lib.Lab.) a lead of five rotes over the Hon. E. P. Lee (Reform), with thirty-five absentee votes to come in and seven declarations to be counted. The last count of absentee votes gave Macpherson 31 and Lee 30. Other amended returns are: WAIRAU. W. B. Girling (B.) 3932 *R. McCallum (L.) ... ••• <>'- 0 PAHIATUA. Of the absent voters' permits, eev-enty-five votes have been cast for Ransom and fifty-five for McNicol. Ransom is now leading by 47 votes, but there are other permits to como. The position is: — A. E. Ransom (L.) 3511 A. McNicol (B.) 3464 WAIKATO. F.Lyo(L.) 2639 J. T. Johnson (R.) - £»4 A. G. Dent (R.) 1526 There are 174 absentee votes to come. KAIAPOI. The checking of the returns has revealed no change in the posjiion of the Kaiapoi candidates. There are 135 absentee voters' permits to come m, and it is anticipated that the final position will not be ascertained and made known until "Wednesday. The present position of the two leading candidates is:— D. Buddo (Lib.) 325? L> Jones (R.) ... - 320 ' KICCARTON. The position in the Riccarton electorate remains unaltered. Mr Witty retains his lead of 234 votes over Mr Kyle, with 164 absent votes and live seamen's votes to be oounted. CITY ELECTORATES. The final returns for the city electorates will not be available until tomorrow or Wednesday. In Avon the 313 absent voters' permits still to be dealt with cannot affect the result. In Christchurch South there are 240 absentee votes to be counted, and in that electorate also there is no possibility of the leading candidate's majority being materially affected. The official count for the Christchurch North electorate, for which 429 absent voters permit were issued, is still proceeding. The final figures will not alter the position of the candidates. AN UNSATISFACTORY FOSITION BUSINESS PEOPLE ANXIOUS. (SPECIAL TO "THE VRESS.") WELLINGTON, December 9. There is not much that is new to write about in regard to the political situation. Advice has been received that the Hon. E. P. Lee's committee seem confident' that the Minister will be elected. On a previous occasion Mr Lee had a majority of the absentee votes, audi there is reason to believe that he will bo as well supported in this respect on the present count. Business people here are very concerned about tiie impasse that appaiently has been reached, and not without reason. The position is bad for trade, and another election in "two or three months' time would have a further depressing influence. There is naucn talk about the anialga* mation of the two moderate parties: against the extreme Labour party, but until the final result of the • lections is known it is premature to speculatb on such a possibility, and it is not altogether easy to see how it could bo .brought about under present conditions. In the meantime Mr Massey holds the whip hand. He may not have a workins: majority when tne final numbers go up, but with some of the Liberals pledged to vote against a LiberalLabour coalition, he would still win on a no-confidence division. In the midst of all the doubting as to what will happen one thing is certain, namely, that if Mr Massey cannot carry on the government of the country, no other party or combination of parties can do so. Mr Massejr still has, the advantage, and the position is such that if he went to the country again the chances are largely in, favour of his coming back with an absolute majority over all parties, for the Reformers have learnt the effect of vote-splitting, and the seats now lost through this foolishness would go bacn to the Reform party. One other point that should not be overlooked is the disturbing effect that the present impasse may have on New Zealand finance generally, and this at a time when it is most important that the country should not be handicapped in this direction. Quite possibly tne country- will have to pay for the position in which the electors have now placed it politically. AUCKLAND NEWSPAPER COMMENT. (SPECIAL TO "THE PBESB.") AUCKLAND, December 9. Discussing the result of the elections the "Herald" sayo editorially:— "'What of the Government?' is the question which comes most naturally to the mind in face of the altered balance of political power. A second Which may be asked with even more point is, 'What of the Oppositiont' It is perfectly obvious that neither Mr Wilford nor Mr Holland has the strength behind him to form a Government. Discussion of such a possibility may easily bo ruled out. An optimistic estimate gives Mr Wilford's group as numbering 18 already, with other possibilities of an increase. The chances of gaining one or two more are undeniable, but to make the 18 it is necessary to include Mr Hanan in the list. He has certainly not previously acknowledged Mr Wilford as his Leader, and there is no indication that he will do so now. It is, in fact, far too early to predict that Mr Wilford .will be able to count upon assured support giving him numerical superiority over the Labour Party. Submitted to a little analysis, the results of the 'great wave of Liberalism,' about which so much has been heard, are not very imposing. The party has captured two seats which could not be

called Government strongholds with any length of tenure in Glut ha and Patea, the last-named witnessing a split in the Reform vote. It has lost j to the Government two seats long held | in Wairau and Waitomo. Labour has i gained rather more at its expense than | at the expense of the Govornmeut. for i Napier was not definitely a Government seat, despite the change of allegiance made by Mr Vigor Brown. Finally, if the result of this 'great wave of Liberalism' puts Labour on the Front Opposition benches, it is to be hoped those who have acclaimed it will be satisfied. Tho present statei of the Opposition elements should not lead to too .close an analogy being drawn between the situation to-day and that of I 1!>12, when Mr Massey levelled his assault on the Government of those days. He had a compact and homogeneous party under him, apart from Independents. Assuming that Mr Wilford moved the vote of no-jonfid- ' ence, in which case Mr Holland and his followers would undoubtedly vote with him, what would bo the result? Mr Bell has pledged himself to voto with Mr Massey if tho alternative is a Liberal Government depending on Labour votes. Mr Witty has given an undertaking of a similar charactor. Mr Statham has said he will not support any Government dopondent on Labour for its continuance in office. He has given no pledge defining how ho would voto on any no-con-fidenco motion. That accounts for three Indepndents in Mr Wilford's own party. Mr Isitt has committed himself decisively to with Mr Massey against any vote of no-coiin-donce liable to be carried by Liberals and Labour acting in concert. Mr Smith, of Taranaki, has said that ho wilFrTfit support a vote of no-cofffidence moved by -Mr Holland. He stated further that he would not tolerate a situation where Labour h-eld the balance of power, but would advocate a further appeal to the country. Lack of common purpose, and a general aversion to the idea of Labour power behind tho throne may yet have a strong effect upon the actions of the heterogeneous Opposition. Mr Massey still leads the only party in any way capable ,of carrying on the Administration. Though numerically weakened it is not impotent, and a very small accretion of strength may enable it to carry on its functions cumfortably. That is tho only position of stability which can be reached from the present state of the political flux." The constitutional r position arising from the results of the election has been stated by a gentleman who has, been associated with Parliament for eome thirty years, and though at the present time he is not actively associated with politics, lie has occupied & position of the highest responsibility. On tho polling returns as disclosed on Friday, this authority Stated that Mr Massey was entitled to carry on tho Government of tho country if he saw fit until the end of June, when Parliament was obliged to meet, as the supply voted to the Government at the end of tho lato session would then be exhausted.

In referring to thfe defeat of the Speaker and the Chairman of Committees, the "Herald" says: —"Had both Sir Frederick Lang and Mr Malcolm been re-elected, their continuance in office would unquestionably have been a matter of course. They were in point of tact the only two men on the Government side in the late Parliament who had had experience in the chair, and, with on© exception, the only men in the House. Had only the Speaker been defeated, Mr Malcolm would, for the same reason, have succeeded automatically to the Speakership. For 50 years the Chairmanship of Committees has been an apprenticeship to the higher office. Sir Maurice O'Borke (1872-1879) held it, and so,, in their turn, did Sir Arthur Guinness and Sir Frederick Lang, but now the House has no man available who has, so "to speak, 'served his indentures.' It -will there' fore have to turn to an untried man for its head, and also for his first lieutenant.

Upon whom the choice will full is a i matter for interesting spc&lation j P.nibng those directly interested in legislative work. The duty of the I Chairman of Committees is to take the chair whenever the 1 whole House resolves into Committee. Re .requires to he almost as well posted as the Speaker in regard to Parliamentary practice and precedents, and his rulings are always liable to he challenged by resolution appealing to the Speaker, and reversed by the latter it they should be mistaken. Manifestly, such responsibilities require for their adequate discharge long and thorough training. Further the Chairman of Committees is e.x officio DeputySpeaker, and takes the chair of the House itself when his chief is ill or absent. Clearly the incumbent of such heavy responsibilities, for upon.the expertness of the Speaker and the. Chairman in their work may sometimes depend the making or marring of an Act, needs to be a man of Sications. Again Parliamentary practice has determined that both offices shall be filled by members of the dominant party. This convention shuts out, for example, Mr Wilford. the present Leader of the Opposition, who wa3 Chairman of Committees for 1909-10 -and i proved himself especially expert in the position. On the 'Government side there is no man who has had any exEerience at all. On general capability ir William Herries. the Hon. w.' Downie Stewart and Mr F. Hock !y stand I out conspicuously. The first-named has a knowledge of the Standing Orders that is orobablv unequalled in the new Parliament, but all throe of the gentlemen mentioned are such important factors in the fighting forces of their party that they could probably not be spared from their place in the Government phalanx to take positions that require, above all things, impartiality toward all parties. In any case two are Ministers. Mr Vernon Reed, who has lost the Bay of Islands seat, once held the office of deputy-chairman (now abolished), and has occasionally relieved Mr Malcolm in long sitting's. Mr J. A. Young has had many years of experience as chairman of the Native Affairs Committee and has Tj'een spoken of as a possible candidate. Sir George Hunter is another possibility, but this, unless Mr Statham, a lawyer member of undoubted parts were considered eligible, though at present ranked as an Independent, seems to exhaust the list of possibilities."