ELECTION CHANGES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 84, 6 October 1943, Page 6

ELECTION CHANGES

MR. NORDMEYER LEADS

LABOUR BEHIND IN EDEN

With the likelihood of the Minister of Health (Mr. Nordmeyer) retaining the Oamaru seat there is the possibility of the Eden seat being lost; by Labour. This development comes about from the official counting of the civilian votes which, with the inclusion of absentee, postal, and seamen's votes, gives Lt.-Colonel W. H. Fortune (National) a majority of 254 over Mr. W. T. Anderton (Labour) hit the Eden electorate.

The election night figures gave LtColonel Fortune a lead of 186 until the inclusion of Services' votes, which reversed the position to the extent of giving Mr. Anderton a lead of 50. Adding the previously known Service votes to the present final count of civilian votes, the National' candidate is shown to have a lead of 6 votes, but, according to a Press Association message from Auckland the number of service. votes has increased to 1115 since election day, and on the distribu- '\ tion of this increased total Colonel Fortune's majority is 18. Official final civilian voting for candidates in the Eden electorate is:— Fortune (N.) 6743 Anderton (L.) 6489 Nixon (D.L.) 593 Mrs. Brooks (R.D.M.) 278 Wilson (I.) 172 The Service voting disclosed on election nigjit gave Anderton 605 and Fortune 363. The inclusion of a further 37 votes improves the National candidate's position slightly. OAMARU SEAT. In the Oamaru electorate the Minister of Health, with arrears of 204 on election night, was still behind the National candidate (Mr. Beatty) when 798 Service votes were taken into account, though Mr. Beatty's majority had been reduced to 6. Later small additions of votes by members of the I forces made the margin 4. However, the inclusion of absentee, postal, and seamen's votes in the official count of civilian voting gives the National candidate a majority of 104, but the known Service voting (as given previously) turns the scale in Mr. Nordmeyer's favour, the present position being that the Minister of Health has a majority of 105. The final civilian voting totals are: Beatty (N.) 4710 Nordmeyer (L.). 4606 Barclay (D.L.) » 289 Cuttriss (I.) 144 With the known Service votes the present totals for the two leading candidates are: Nordmeyer 5081, Beatty 4976. v There are further Service votes to be taken into the election account, and, as sitting members have been receiving a majority of the votes cast by members of the Services, the indications now are that the Eden contest becomes more interesting than that which has kept the Oamaru result in [the balance until the official civilian count. WAITEMATA POSITION. Another of the electorates in which the result of polling is regarded as being in doubt is Waitemata, where on election night Mr. Morton (National) had a majority of 127 over Mrs. Dreaver (Labour), the totals then including the distribution of 1141 Service votes. The final official count of civilian votes gives the following result: —

Morton (N.) 6451 Mrs. Dreaver (L.) .... 6130 Ansley (D.L.) 817 Hewitt (I.) 161

That gives the National candidate a majority of 321, which,' however, is reduced by the known Service votes to 169. According to a Press Association message from Auckland, the National candidate's • majority, with 1100 Service votes taken into account, is 175.

Further final results of civilian voting give leading candidates the following majorities:— Dunedin West, Connolly (L.), 953; Marsden, Murdoch (N.) 1038 over the Minister 'of Agriculture; Auckland West, Carr (L.) 4746; Rangitikei, Gordon (N.) 1543; Kaipara, Webb (I.N:) 2709; Egmont, Corbett (N.) 2376; Auckland Centra^ Parry (L.) 4211; Auckland East, Schramm (L.) 643; Invercargill, Denham (L.) 482; Mid-Canter-bury, Gerard (N.) 761; Patea, Sheat (N.) 979; Remuera, Algie (N.) 3963; Riccarton, Watts (N.) 1527; Wanganui, Cotterill (L.) 1890; Otahuhu, Petrie (L.) 224; Onehunga, Osborne (L.) 2976. The position in Otahuhu is not likely to be altered by the Service voting other than to increase the Labour candidate's majority. WELLINGTON SEATS. Final official counts of civilian voting for candidates for Wellington,seats are:— Wellington East: Semple (L.) 7288, Jacobsen (N.), 5220, Bishop (D.L.) 867, Russell (I.) 402, Barrington (C.P.) 244. Wellington South: McKeen (L.) 7191, Toop (N.) 3663, Teece (D,L.) 1138, Maddison (I.) 165.