Manawatu Evening Standard. THURSDAY, DEC. 3, 1931. THE GENERAL ELECTION.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 3, 3 December 1931, Page 6

Manawatu Evening Standard. THURSDAY, DEC. 3, 1931. THE GENERAL ELECTION.

The vote of confidence which the Coalition Government sought from the electorate was given in striking manner yesterday. As a result it has been confirmed in office with a substantial majority. When the dissolution took place 52 of the complete House of 81) members were to be found on the side of the Coalition. To the new House 51 members have been elected pledged to support the Government in the measures it must adopt to re-establish financial equilibrium and to generally work for the speedy restoration of prosperity when the dark clouds of depression over the world give way to the sunshine of the better days ahead. The Reform Party again returns to the new Parliament as the largest individual party. It went to the polls 27 strong and has gained four seats and lost two to increase its strength to 29. Included in this number are two Independent Reform candidates who were not endorsed by the Coalition. The United Party suffered the most casualties. In the old Parliament it had 24 members, but the roll now is 19, with one Independent United. Two Coalition Independents, Mr W. J. Poison (Stratford) and Mr Connolly, who is ahead of Mr D. Jones in Mid-Canterbury, make up the rest of the Government’s strength. The Labour Party is now the second largest in the House with 24 successful candidates, it having gained three from the United Party and two from the Independent retiring members. The defeat of Messrs Fletcher, Lysnar and Hogan has reduced the straightout Independents to four. The single Country Party member, Mr Rushworth (Bay of Islands), retained his seat by a more substantial majority than three years ago, but his way was made easy by reason of the fact that the Labour Party did not place a candidate in the field, as he gained the Labour votes in the mining districts in his electorate. The folly of candidates splitting the moderate vote—not the policy of specious promises—has in large measure contributed to the augmented Labour representation. Five candidates in Auckland East paved the way for Mr Schramm to take a seat in the Legislature. Roskill and Gisborne tell the same story. In each of these seats and in Wellington North and Timaru, also, the Socialist nominee was returned on a minority vote which, had the Coalition pact been honoured, must have resulted in his defeat. The Labour Party lias little cause for deep rejoicing, therefore, over the result of the election. Certainly, Mr Lee gained a decisive victory in Grey Lvnn and Mr Jones won Dunedin South with a handsome vote, defeating Mr W. B. Taverner .V’i a Reform candidate. It suffered, however, a sharp reverse in Raglan where Mr D. Stewart Reid was successful in the Reform interests, thus re-establish-ing the ascendency of this party in its former stronghold.

Casualties must be anticipated as a general rule in elections. The Reform Party appear to all intents and purposes to have lost Mid-Canterbury to a strong Liberal Coalitionist, who is really an Independent United, in Mr Connolly, who in 1928 polled but a few votes less than Mr Jones, who was Minister for Agriculture in the Coalition Government. Mr F. Waite, in Clutlia, has to give way to an Independent United candidate whose chances were generally recognised in the south as superior. On the other hand, Reform has regained the Wairarapa seat .from United, won Raglan with a handsome majority, has a lead in Rangitikei which should confirm Mr A. Stuart in office, and has taken Invercargill from the United Party. The latter has ' lost an ex-Minister in Mr W. B. Taverner and in Roskill Mr G. C. Munns, who was a Whip for the Party when the United Government held the reins of office, .was at the bottom of the poll. A sensation of the election undoubtedly was the close contest in Dunedin Central between Sir Charles Statham, the Speaker of the House, and the Socialist candidate, Mr Neilson, who was not accepted by considered opinion in the southern city as a strong opponent, yet received only 91 votes less than Sir. Charles in a poll of little less than 10,000. This figure was rather less than the number who voted three years ago, and as there were more than 12,000 names on the roll it would appear that the supporters of the Speaker took the Labour candidate cheaply and committed the social crime of apathy in an election.

In Otaki and ManawaUi Messrs Field and Linklater retained their seats with convincing majorities. Mr J. A. Nash again won Palmerston in like manner. Yesterday’s vote was a clear manifestation of the interest displayed in the contest b} T the electors of this city, and it also proved conclusively that Mr Nash has not gone back in the estimation of the people. The warrant for this statement is the fact that he polled nearly 500 more votes than were recorded for him in the 1928 election, sufficient proof in itself that his work on behalf of this electorate has the warm appreciation of the people. The fact that yesterday’s poll in the Palmerston electorate was within 300 of the total votes recorded in the previous election, when the licensing poll was taken in conjunction with it, was a wonderful achevement, since there was no licensing election yesterday and an absence of the strenuous efforts made by the Trade and NoLicense parties to induce the electors to record their votes. To the “Standard,” which was the only paper in this district to openly support the Coalition candidate, his success was most gratifying. Now that the heat and turmoil of battle have died away, and the Coalition Government has been so strikingly confirmed in office, particularly by the rural constituencies which are the hardest hit in the depression, the Government will be able to give effect to its policy. Gratifying indeed was the staunchness of the whole electorate for sound government. The discontent caused by unemployment, high taxation, the effect of economies on wages and in other directions was seized upon by Labour and exploited to the full, but its arrows really fell harmlessly. It was the stupidity of vote splitting that gave it most of its gains. New Zealand has shown the Empire that it will not be captured by Labour's specious promises; its lead is valuable and wanted badly at a time when a determined effort will be made to rid Australia of its Labour Government. The Coalition Government has difficult days ahead of it, but the policy it laid before the electors has received their striking endorsement.