POLITICAL SITUATION

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVIII, Issue 298, 3 December 1928, Page 5

POLITICAL SITUATION

BAY OF ISLANDS SEAT.

MR RUSHWORTH NOW DECLARED ELECTED.

(Per Press Association.! Whangarei, December 3. The Bay of Island Magisterial scrutiny resulted in Air H. M. Rushworth (C.) being declared elected by a majority of two votes. Details:— H. M. Rushworth (C.) ... 3820 A. Bell (R.) 3818 R. E. Hornblow (Lib.-lab. 349 Informal — Majority for Rushworth .. 2 It will be remembered that when the official recount was made. Mr Rushworth (C.) was declared to have polled 3837 votes, and Mr Allen Bell 3836 votes, but it was subsequently found that six votes had been overlooked. Of these two went to Mr Rushworth, three to Mr Bell, and one was informal. This made equal voting, and the casting vote of the registrar was given to Mr Bell. STATE OF PARTIES. Through the Government’s loss of the Bay of Island seat, the state of the parties now is:— Reform 28 United 27 Labour .... 19 Inependent 5 Country 1 The Government has now lost 24 seats against Labour’s three and the United’s two. The Government gained one seat, the United’s 18. Labour 8, Independents 3, and the Country Party one. OPENING OF PARLIAMENT. Parliament will be opened by Commission at 2.30 p m to-morrow. The Commissioners appointed by His Excellency the Governor-General are the Hon. Sir Walter Carncross, the Right Hon. Sir Francis Bell, the Hon. Sir R. Heaton Rhodes, and the Hon. Sir William Hall-Jones.