FINAL ELECTION FIGURES

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26523, 11 September 1951, Page 6

FINAL ELECTION FIGURES

MOST RETURNS THIS EVENING

Final election figures can be expected for most electorates this evening. The staffs of returning officers have been Working on the official count since the night of the General Election, although in most cases the count was a formality which could not affect the party representation. Overseas votes ware received up to 7 p.m. yesterday and servicemen’s votes may be received up to the same time to-day. Lyttelton is the electorate which holds the most interest for Canterbury voters. There, the sitting Labour member (Mr T. H. McCombs) had an elec-tion-night majority of 51 over Mr H. R. Lake. The returning officer for the electorate (Mr J. B. Dixon) does not expect to have the final figures ready until Thursday. Waimarino is another of the seven doubtful seats in which the final count 11 not expected to be announced this evening. The returning officer hopes to have the announcement ready for to-morrow. At present Waimarino is held by Labour by 49 votes. The other doubtful seats are St. Kilda, held by National with a majpnity of 118: Gisborne, National, 48; Palmerston North, Labour. 4; Haskill, National, 181; Napier, Labour, 124. The results of all these are expected to be S bounced this evening. One in which ere is almost certain to be a change in toe ele«tlon-filght figures is Palmerston North, where even the new Labour member. Mr J HodaenS, himself does not think he win 'Win on the final figures.

FEW INFORMAL VOTES AT AUCKLAND

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, September 10. Auckland returning officers report that informal votes were remarkably few, and the number of the ballot papers marked, with a cross “quite trivial.’’ One returning officer said that in his district, where misleading instructions had been inadvertently displayed on some of the pollin« boxes, he had discovered not more than six papers marked with a cross. This number could have been expected even if the notices had not been there.