STATE OF PARTIES

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 141, 11 December 1914, Page 8

STATE OF PARTIES

3 UNSTABLE EQUILIBRIUM

\ FOUR SEATS STILL DOUBTFUL : ABSENTEE VOTES WILL DECIDE. The 'position, of the parties left by yesterday's election may best be described as one of unstable equilibrium. If the 'figures are taken exactly as announced last night, then the parties are exactly j equal, including Labour in the Opposi- j ,tion — 38 all. In addition there are the -Jour Maori electorates, which will take f some little time to decide. On the other hand, there is an unique feature in the present situation, and this is likely to be ■ the controlling factor in determining the final strength of the parties. This is the . phenomenal proportions of the absentee ' vote, which this year is doubled, trebled, 'quadrupled, and multiplied at even greater ratio through the absence from our shores of 10,000 ©lectors in Egypt -and Samoa, and 2000 more in camp at ;Trentham. These twelve thousand were all, under special legislation 'of last session, granted a purely party ..franchise, the personal element being "ruled out by the circumstance that the itroops would not be present at the elections in the electorates in which they "resided before enlisting. They had, to vote Liberal, Reform, or '.Labour, and their votes will go by law -to the official candidate of the. | "party for which they t voted in I w e&ch electorate. As pointed out prior to the election these twelve thousand votes may turn the elections in any •electorate where the results are close. ;The absentee votes, including the Expeditionary votes, are not counted on the "night of the election, but are dealt with v at the official count, which will probably "take place to-morrow. At present the 'returning officers are engaged in the .statutory scrutiny of the rolls. They will afterwards open the packages containing the Expeditionary and this, together "with the seamen's vote, and the rest of the absentee vote, will be added to the votes already in and the final result ascertained. This final result is doubtful in at least four electorates, where the preliminary count finds the candidates with only a few votes between them. These four electorates are all seats in which the Opposition, candidate has secured a lead, and at present stands to win the «eat. They are with their present majorities for the Opposition : ) Taumarunui 152 Wairarapa ... 22 Wellington East 34 I Dunedin Central ... ... 1 j It is difficult to ascertain the number of absentee votes, including the Expeditionary votes,' as the electoral authorities deem it desirable to merge, as far as possible, the voting of the men in the Force with the rest of the absentee vote. It is understood, however, that for Taumarunui there were about 300 absentee votes to come in, and for Wellington East 265. At the time of writing no .word had been received by the authorities from Dunedin or the Wairarapa as to absentee votes, but in each case it is roughly estimated at over 200. It is quite clear, therefore, that any or all of the restate already announced in the four seajte mentioned may be upset in the final count, which will not be available until to-morrow. T£ the position is accepted as it stands, then 'both Government and Opposition \ partrffes are represented by 38 members each. The Opposition includes 30 Liberals and 8 Labour, and the Labour xepresentatives may again be divided into Labour proper 5 and Social Democrat 3. Following are the members elected on last night's returns: — Reform — Allen, Anderson, Bollard, Buick, Campbell, Coates, J. M. Dickson, J. S. Dickson, Escott, T. A. Field, W. H. Field, Fraser, Guthrie, Harris, Herdlban, Henries, Hine, Hudson, Hunter, Lang, Lee, Malcolm, Mander, Massey, Newman, Nosworthy, Okey, Parr, Pearce, Reed, R. H. Rhodes, T. W.Rhodes, Scott, Stewart, Sykes, Wilkinson, Wright, Young. Total, 38. Liberal — Anstey, Brown, Buddo, Carxoll, Craigie, Dickie, Ell, Fletcher, Forbes, Glover, Hanan, Hornsby, Isitt, Jennings, M'Callurn, Mac Donald, Myers, Poland, Poole, Russell, Seddon, Sidey, Smith, Talbot, Thomson, Thacker, Ward, Wilford, Witty. , Total, 30. Labour — Hindmarsh, *M'Combs, M'Laren, Munro, *Payne. Veitch, Walker. *Webb. Total, 8. Democrat.