THE BY-ELECTION.

Evening Star, Issue 25495, 28 May 1945, Page 4

THE BY-ELECTION.

The by-election at Hamilton, which was decided on Saturday, has been dwarfed by more momentous happenings. In the month that has seen the capitulation of the German armies and the end of the European war it has not been exciting—not even, in the usual degree, to Hamilton, if we can judge from the fairness of reports. This despite the fact that the official Labour candidate, Mr Barrel], who held the scat before last General Election and is once more defeated, was supported in the final stages by seven members of the Government, including four Ministers, while the successful candidate was assisted by six National members of Parliament and one former member. The National Party lias every reason to be satisfied with the result. It retains the seat, even though by a minority vote, wJiieh was the manner in which it won it two years ago, and, when allowance is made for the reduced total of registrations that is usual in the case of emergency polls, the vote has increased. In 1935, in a dual contest, the National candidate received 43.15 of the total number of valid votes cast. With four candidates standing the proportion in 1943 was 48, and now, .with some servicemen's votes to come, it is 48.76.

The contest was between parties more than between candidates, with the exception of those who voted for Mr J. A. Lee, whose party, it lias been, said, was scarcely heard of. The votes that were given to him were not much more than one-fifth of those which were accorded to the official Labour candidate, but. they were crucial, which fact is not likely to endear him further to the Labour Party. At the same time, as much as those given to the National candidate, they were votes critical of the Government. On the issue that deserves to be predominant, the passion of the Labour Party to control and dominate everything and everybody, as shown most recently in its proposals concerning the Bank of New Zealand, the vote for Mrs Ross should have been much larger than it was. It is satisfactory, however, that a woman member has been elected who will .not only represent the party that stand's for a true democracy against Socialist coercion, but gives promise of being a real accession to Parliament. For a woman to be deputy mayor of Hamilton and a member of its hospital board, to have been for twenty years president of the St. John Ambulance Nursing Division and for nearly as long joint organiser of children's health camps, and to have the record for war work which Mrs ißoss has shown, argues qualifications for still wider usefulness which will not be lost in that assembly.