Embassy election party planned

Press, 12 July 1984, Page 3

Embassy election party planned

NZPA staff correspondent Washington Party time at the New Zealand Embassy in Washington will be about 4 a.m. on Saturday (8 p.m. New Zealand time). That is when the election results will start clacking in on the telex from Foreign Affairs in Wellington. “Vespers” — Friday night drinks — are a tradition at the embassy’s social club, but this week they are likely to be late — a good number of diplomats and their families plan to make a night of it and stay close to the telex machine until the results are clear. Voting in North America started 10 days ago and in Ottawa was so heavy that the High Commission there ran out of ballot forms and had to photocopy them. One hundred and fortytwo votes (including one service vote) had been cast there, compared with 140 in 1981 by the time the ballots closed. Total votes in Canada last year were about 350, consular officials said, but with more than 120 votes cast so far at the consulate in Vancouver, they expect this year’s total to be significantly higher. H.M.N.Z.S. Canterbury is now at Vancouver, but voting on board will be separate. Voting in the United States is up too. Votes are pouring into the New Zealand consulate in Brisbane, and already are well above the total cast in 1981. ' • Elsewhere polling, which began in Australia 2% weeks ago, has been slow, with figures at the three other Australian centres running about the same level as in the last General Election. '■*'