WITH ALL THE GUNS
Although the Labour candidate, Miss Howard, was returned for Christchurch East on Saturday with a majority of 1809 votes over the second candidate, she was, on the total votes recorded, in a minority of just over 500 votes. It was not to be expected, of course, that Miss Howard would repeat the performance of the late Mr. Armstrong in 1938, when, in a straight-out contest
with the National Parly, Labour had a majority of 7000 votes, but the fact that an overwhelming majority was changed into a minority suggests that other factors, apart from personalities and the different conditions which always apply in a by-election, contributed to the result. In spite of an earlier reference by Mr. Fraser to the by-election as '"a trivial matter.' Labour took the contest so seriously that Miss Howard had the assistance of the' full party organisation and an imposing array of speakers, from the Prime Minister downward. Mr. Fraser has claimed the result of the election as a satisfactory endorsement of the Government's policy, both war and domestic. Certainly New Zealand's full war effort was not questioned. The position of the "Peace" candidate proves that. But the public will not consider the voting as affording reason for the satisfaction the Prime Minister expresses. They will regard it rather as, a- warning to Labour that its administration has features which are not acceptable and that, in several respects, it is out of touch with public opinion. The strong vote recorded by the Democratic Labour candidate, Mr. Herring, is one of the surprises of the election. In the main this was no doubt due to the picturesque platform work of his leader, Mr. Lee. The vote cannot be taken as an indication that in a General Election Democratic Labour candidates, necessarily left very largely to their own devices, could be expected to prove so persuasive. The success of the Lee candidate, however, suggests that a section of the public is ready to listen to -a hew voice, especially if that voice preaches a superficially attractive but delusive policy.
WITH ALL THE GUNS
Evening Post, Volume CXXXV, Issue 32, 8 February 1943, Page 4
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