AT THE POLLS

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26516, 3 September 1951, Page 3

AT THE POLLS

Heavy Voting In Morning NO UNUSUAL INCIDENTS

Christchurch teIMffKSK leveS or t2 t h C e eS sta°r f t wXTVt S in J of vo tmg at 9 a m., and Sf hPOl U ?e clerks were ine Th?U?^ v thfooghout the morna«t’_rbe v °ting rate was slower in ththe b °° ths minor pm ‘ the s? was another n.ft, p fu k ln man y districts. great p ° litical Parties had port tarHitioe S made °n their transP „ ißcilities, and at times reauests delav ar Thpr» Id not be met without dents’ a ?^ ere ,S_° reports of inciAlbans althou ?h in the St. ciprtl electorate one team of polling a churc h school? fnr g |S t a eir WOrk - foUnd that key * or tbe door was broken, and entrance was forced with a iemmv In r^,° f th i S ’ the booth walTeTdy to too =n VOte^s at 9 am - There was, Albanc r C a t nX1 ° us mom ent in the St. n rehmnmg officer’s rooms. At 7 th?’ ft” W ?i S keyed I, P t 0 handle votint? S Thp f fi C * after th e close of fa fir uf turn had 3 ust come ~P wb en the lights went out. There but thp silence for a moment, second* p ? sitlo n was righted within nn thf £vl witch had been turned on the switchboard by mistake. delav ft°st electorates there was no S first nr i reSU , lts i from booths. cnmnUta the local electorates to lts .Preliminary count was Fendalton, where the final result for e^ lng wa s, kn °wn before 7.30 p.m. The last was Southern Maori which was not completed until 10 5 p m whh Hotekft % flg n res from Takats nartftnilri 1 t t e Clty an <? sub urbs were FnJ ly u l y Pn Saturday mornaVu ■ )ust , before they closed at the rush was comparable with On _? Fr iday evening. Many no!^i tlol i- P 4 artles ” were held—groups of hotFl le hntti ten » ne to the results - and note! bottle stores were very busy on providing patrons with 7 the ”, , of t° as tmg victory or swallowdAteat‘, At , several theatres in election results were given during the evening.

“MANDATE FROM THE PEOPLE”

MR H. C. LANGFORD’S COMMENTS “Our division is very, very happy a bout the result. It has vindicated what the Prime Minister has said. He has now got a mandate from the people and we can hope for a haopy and prosperous time in the future," said Mr H. C. Langford, chairman of the Canterbury division of the National Party commenting on the results of the election.

“The figures show conclusively that Mr Holland will have a majority larger iJ? an be bad before,” Mr Langford said. “We in the party are particularly grateful about it.”

The party appreciated the work of the candidtes in the “tough" electorates such as Sydenham, Christchurch Central, ana Avon, .in which the majorities of the Labour Party candidates were reduced in each case. “We were particularly pleased with Mr Watts’s majority," Mr Langford said. “He had done such a wonderful job as a Minister and it was gratifying to know that he had been returned.”