Seventh By-Election

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30085, 20 March 1963, Page 12

Seventh By-Election

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, March 19. A byelection in the Grey Lynn electorate will probably be held towards the end of May. At the General Election. Mr Hackett, the sitting member, had a majority of 4596 over his National Party opponent Mr Hackett was chosen on March 10 as the official Labour candidate for the new Grey Lynn seat set up by the Representation Commission. The present member for Ponsonby, Mr R. Macdonald, whose seat has been abolished from the end of this Parliament. was also in the ballot. Mr Macdonald will now be in the position of seeing his present seat disappear without being able to put forward a claim for the now vacant Grey Lynn seat. The new Grey Lynn seat will comprise three-quarters of the present Ponsonby electorate. The by-election resulting from the death of Mr Hackett will be the seventh of the present Parliament. All have been in safe seats—two Government and. now with Grey Lynn, five Labour Three by-elections resulted from the deaths of holders and former holders of the portfolio of Agriculture They were Mr W. H. Gillespie (National. Hurunui). Mr T. L

Hayman (National, Waitski), and Mr C. F. Skinner (Labour. Buller). Mr C. L. Carr (Labour. Timaru) resigned his seat and died a few months later.

In January. Mr T. P. Paikca (Labour, Northern Maori) and Mr J. M. Deas (Labour, Otahuhu) died, and by-elec-tions to fill the seats were held last Saturday.