HUTT BY-ELECTION

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 73, 19 December 1929, Page 12

HUTT BY-ELECTION

ISSUE STILL IN DOUBT LABOUR’S NARROW LEAD OVER UNITED With 608 absentee votes yet to be counted, the result of the Hutt bv-election yesterday is in doubt as between Mr. W. Nash (Labour) and Mr. J. Kerr (United). At present Mr. Nash has a lead of 156 vo * :e^j ie p O n was a heavy one. The votes recorded for each candidate were as follow: — WALTER NASH (Labour) 4793 JAMES KERR (United) 4637 HAROLD F. JOHNSTON (Reform) 2368 Total votes cast 11,798 There were 16,371 electors on the roll. The final result should be known about the end of the week. DETAILS OF POLLING Details of the polling are as follow:— Genera i

CANDIDATES RETURN THANKS

After the result of the by-election had been made known Jhe candidates returned thanks to the electors of Hutt and Petone.

Mr. Johnston was the first to speak at Lower Hutt. He congratulated Mr. Nash on being at the top of the poll, and paid tribute to the manner in which he had conducted his campaign. Mr. Kerr, he said, was to be complimented on the fight he put up. .“The banner of Reform has again been unfurled in the Hutt, and it will be kept flying,” added Mr. Johnston. “I am not ashamed to be in a minority that Is advocating the right principles. _ A minority sometimes has a habit of growing into a majority. Although it has been ‘Nash this time,’ it will be Johnston next time, because I will come again.” At the call of Mr. Johnston cheers were given for Mr. Nash and Mr. Kerr.

Mr. Nash said that he was sure that when the final figures were announced the result would be a Labour victory. Having that honour conferred on him, he pledged himself to do all he could to live up to the trust that had been reposed in him. When he had done that he would return for a renewal of the confidence of the electors. He called for cheers for Mr. Kerr and Mr. Johnston.

Mr. Kerr said that as the result was still in doubt he was not therefore a defeated candidate. He considered the by-election had been a wonderful victory for the United Party. It showed that it still had the confidence of the country. If Mr. Nash were elected he would be the first to congratulate him. To Mr. Johnston he would say he had put up the best fight he could. MR. NASH’S CAREER Mr. Walter Nash is a native of Kiderininster, England, where he was born in 1882. He came to New Zealand in 1909, and formed a branch of the Labour Party at New Plymouth in 1918. In 1920 he represented the New Zealand Labour Party at the’lnternational Socialist Conference at Geneva. For many years he has been associated with the Church of England Men’s Society, and has held the position of secretary in the Wellington diocese. For some years prior to 1921 he was a member of the National Executive of the New Zealand Labour Party, and in that year was elected to the national secretaryship, an office he still holds. Mr. Nash unsuccessfully contested the Hutt seat in 1925, and again at the last general election.

1929. election, 1028.' Polling places. Johnston 149 Kerr 253 Nash 190 Nash Wilf ord 219 416 87 47 36 51 156 332 150 163 219 633 5 23 69 86 27 Lower Hutt (Lyceum Hall) 686 936 537 849 1709 Lower Hutt (Public School) .. 290 525 607 749 717 7 • ■ - 100 276 550 546 269 Petone (Public School—principal) .. 319 1096 1295 1693 1614 Petone (Oddfellows’ Hall) 196 104 877 160 824 233 887 106 726 148 55 287 282 257 336 Totals at polling places .. 2368 4637 4793 5662 6751