GAIN BY LABOUR

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31543, 4 December 1967, Page 1

GAIN BY LABOUR

Palmerston Poll Close ’ 7 > '7" <New Zealtnij Prfas Association PALMERSTON NORTH, \ December 3; /, Mr J. A. Walding appears to have won the Palmerston North seat in Parliament for the Labour Party. In the by-election on Saturday he received 699 votes more than Mr G. N, Cruden, who was defending the seat for the National Party. ~ There ate still an estimated 1700 special votes to be counted.

In the past the National candidate has gained more from the special votes than the Labour candidate. In 1966, the late Mr W. H. Brown increased his election night majority of eight to 259. Mr Walding gained about one third of the special votes. If he gets this proportion again, he will have a majority of about 400. The result on Saturday was.— G. N. Cruden (Nat.) .. 5613 J. Q. Goldingham (Progress) 29 J. B. O’Brien (Soc. Cred.) .. 2282 JA. Walding (Lab.) .. 6312 P. J. Wedderspoon (Democratic Lab.) .. 56 Informal .. |. . 22 Majority for Walding 699. Soc. Cred. Increase Social Credit’s electiannight vote increased from just over 1400 in 1966 to 2282. However, the totals for the two main parties were down on the 1966 election-night totals. National got 1334 fewer votes, and Labour 627. The final result should be known in about 12 or 13 days. 1 On election night, 1282 special votes had been collected, and the Returning Officer (Mr O. T. Grattan) estimates that when special voting closes in 10 days the total should be nearer 1700. Final figures in 1966 were; Brown (Nat.) .. 7865 Thew (Soc. Cred) .. 1620 Walding (Lab.) .. 7606 Majority for Brown, 259.

80 p.c. Voted Including the estimated 1700 special votes, it appears that more than 80 per cent of the 19,770 people on the roll

voted. At last year’s general election 89.38 per cent voted. There were another 728 names on the roll for the byelection. The Social Credit candidate described the result as “solid steady progress.” “We. have doubled our percentage of the poll,” said Mr O’Brien. “We have finished with a massive organisation here in Palmerston North—-we have ■ recognised the city as the- key; to Manawatu. We have a lot to be proud of.” Lack Of Support Labour’s victory was ■ evidence that if a general election were held now, (he Government would be swept from

office, said the deputy leader of the Labour Party (Mr'H. Watt). He said that the public no longer had trust or faith in the National Government’s administration. “There is only one honourable course for ’the Prime Minister to follow and that is to resign and put his Government’s policy, to the test. Many voters who previously supported the National Party have withdrawn their support,” said Mr Watt. The president of the Social Credit League. (Dr W. A, Evans) said the result proved that more people were disturbed with the results, of National and Labour policies. P.M.’s Assessment The Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake). said the Social Credit vote appeared to have been gained at the expense of the -Government"., Labour’s perceagage of the total vote compared with the General Election was about i per cent down. National’s percentage was about 61 per cent down and Social .Credit ■ jwas about 6J per cent up. Mr Holyoake said that devaluation .during the campaign had bden a confusing issue. The Dominion president of the National Party (Mr E. D. Holt) said that under the country’s present conditions, the result was not one to be ashamed of.