GREY SEAT AND LABOUR

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25363, 10 December 1947, Page 8

GREY SEAT AND LABOUR

MR P. C. WEBB’S WIN AS SOCIALIST SECOND BALLOT SYSTEM The official lists of the New Zealand Labour Party, formed at the unity conference in 1913, record Mr P. C. Webb, who won the Grey (now Westland) seat at a by-election in July, 1913, as the first successful Labour candidate. Mr Webb actually stood as a Social Democrat, which party had merged with the Labour Party only a fortnight or so before hp was elected.

The by-election was a triangular contest, held on June 17, 1913, and when the result of the poll was announced, Mr H. L. Michel (Reform), led with 2160 votes, Mr ’.Webb being second with 2074. Mr M. Hannah (Opposition) polled 1982 votes. The result was hailed as a “victory for Reform”; but at the second ballot a week later, Mr Webb secured 3354 votes to beat his opponent by a margin of more than 600. Liberals were allied with Labour in voting against the Reform Government on the second ballot. Mr Webb represented Grey until the seat was declared vacant when, for refusing to wear a military uniform, he was imprisoned.

The Second Ballot Act, under which the principle of an absolute majority of votes was adopted, operated in the general elections of 1908 and 1911 and at all by-elections from 1908 to 1913, when the act was repealed. Under the system, a candidate had to secure more than half of the valid votes recorded. If no candidate received an absolute majority of votes on the first ballot, the second ballot was necessary and was taken between the two candidates who had received the highest number of votes, all others being excluded. The date for taking the second ballot was fixed as the seventh day after the close of the poll on the first ballot, except in 10 electorates, where the difficulties of communication caused 14 days to be allowed. The act did not apply to the election of representatives of the Maori race. Second Ballot Results Of the 23 candidates who headed the first ballot in 1908 but failed to secure an absolute majority, eight were defeated on {the second ballot, when 13,546 persons who voted on the first did not vote. Among them was Sir W. R. Russell (Hawke’s Bay), A. R. Atkinson (Wellington East), W. H. P. Barber (Wellington South), R. A. Wright being successful, F. R. Flatman (Ashburton), against whom W. Nosworthy changed a deficit of 969 into a majority of 1253, W. Jeffries (Geraldine), T. Buxton winning by 92 votes after being 63 votes down. In Ashburton, W. Nosworthy beat J. Kennedy finally by 913, after having a lead of 1330. At the 1911 general election, second ballots were held in 30 electorates and five who led on the first ballot were defeated. In the second ballot, 16,376 persons who voted at the first did not vote. J. G. Coates, who was second on the first ballot for Kaipara, was elected, G. Fowlds (Grey Lynn) was defeated after holding a majority of nearly 1000, J. Robertson (Otaki) and in more recent years a member for Masterton, converted a 500 deficit into a 21 majority over W. H. Field. R. A. Wright (who died on Sunday) _had a majority of 300 over. A. H. Hindmarsh on the first* ballot and lost by 254 on the second. D. Buddo reversed positions with R. Moore for the Kaiapoi seat, a 94 minority being changed into a lead of 209. In Christchurch North, L. M. Isitt increased his majority over J. D. Hall and in Christchurch East T. H. Davey, who was 132 votes behind Dr. H. T. J. Thacker on the first ballot, won by 1181. G. Witty gained a majority of the votes cast originally for D. G. Sullivan to beat C. H. Ensor for Riccarton by 1373, and G. W. Russell increased his majority over J. McCombs in Avon by 146 votes.