DECISIVE VOTE OF CONFIDENCE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 3, 3 December 1931, Page 4

DECISIVE VOTE OF CONFIDENCE

A decisive vote of confidence in the Coalition Government was registered in the general elections yesterday, and as a result the Government holds 51 seats as against the 24 of the Labour Opposition. The latter gained five seats and lost one: Iteform gained four and lost two; United gained two and lost five, while the Independents lost three.

In nearly every electorate the real fight was between the Coalition and Labour, though in some urban seats votesplitting by Independents occurred and this in a large measure contributed to the Labour gains.

The Country Party retained its one seat, Bay of Islands

Neither of the two women candidates, Miss Melville and Mrs McCombs, was successful.

A remarkable result was that in Mid-Canterbury’ where the Coalition Minister, Hon. I). Jones, was narrowly defeated by an Independent Coalitionist, Iteform made a splendid rally in gaining Itangitikei from the. Independent, Mr Hogan, and in wresting Raglan from the retiring Labour member, Mr W. L. Martin, who won the seat on the death of Mr R. F. Bollard five years ago.

In many cases the decisions were close and though in some of these absent and postal votes have yet to be counted the results are not likely to be affected. Seats included in this category' are Rotorua, Lyttelton and Itangitikei.

Numerous candidates failed to gain any appreciable measure of favour from the electors and as a result will forfeit their deposits.

In the Palmerston and Manawatu electorates both the Coalition Reform candidates, Messrs .Mash and Linklater, received excellent support, and iheir return was hailed with a good deal of satisfaction. Mr TV. H. Field was again returned for Otaki, decisively beating a Labour opponent.

FIFTY-ONE SEATS WON MR J. A. NASH RE-ELECTED