THE BY-ELECTION

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 51, 4 March 1929, Page 10

THE BY-ELECTION

IN BAY OF ISLANDS

POLL ON 10TH APRIL

The- Minister in charge- of the Electoral Department (the Hon. W. A. Veitch) announced to-day that the byelection in the Bay of Islands electorate, occasioned by the result of. the Election Court, which sat at the end of January, and declared that thero was sufficient evidence to show that Mr. H. M. Bushworth was not'duly elected at the General Election in November, will bo hold on Wednesday, 10th April.

The writ will issue next Friday, Sth March, and will be. returnable on 17th March. Nominations will close on 27th March.

The result of the by-election will 00 watched with considerable interest in view of the outcome of the recent General Election, and in some quarters the outcome may bo taken as an indication ■ f)f how the wind is blowing for the next General Election, which some people hold may be precipitated before the present Parliament has run its natural course, of three years' duration.

At the "General Election there'was a three-cornered contest) in which only two of the candidates were seriously supported. On the official count, the sitting Keform member, Mr. Allen Bell, appeared to have been defeated by one vote by the Country Party candidate, Mr. H. M. Kushworth, but a tie resulted when absentee votes were counted, and the returning officer gave his casting vote for Mr. Bell. A Magisterial recount set aside certain votes, arid Mr. Kushvvorth was declared to have a majority of th,ree, but as a result of the petition then lodged irregularities were discovered, the Magistrate's decision was reversed, and the 1 poll was declared void. ■ - • . ELEMENTS OF INTEREST. It is regarded as certain that both j Mr. 801 l and Mr. Eushworth will go to the poll again, but a further element of interest arises on account of the uncertainty- as to., whether the United Party will put up a candidate, especially as Mr. Rushwofth gave his vote in support of Sir Joseph Ward to turn the Eeform Administration out of office when Parliament met in December. Speculation as to what the United Party is likely to do is encouraged by the presence in the Bay.of Islands electorate at present of the party's Dominion organiser, Mr. A. E. Davy. Mr. Allen Bell entered the House of Representatives in 1922 as ah Independent, but gave his vote in. support of the late Mr. Massey when the latter found himself threatened with a minority. This attitude he has maintained ever since, including the period of office of the late Prime Minister, Mr. Coates. It is rumoured, however, that -Mr. Bell-may now choose to revert to his old status as an Independent candidate.