WAITEMATA SEAT

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 196, 21 July 1941, Page 4

WAITEMATA SEAT

HELD BY LABOUR.

SHRUNKEN MAJORITY

(Press Assn) AUCKLAND, July 20. By a majority of 420 votes on the provisional count. Airs AI. Al. Dreaver held the Waitemata seat for the Government in the by-election on Saturday caused by tlie death Lll action in Crete of the sitting member, Captain W. J. Lyon. The lack of interest shown throughout the campaign by the electorate was borne out in the polling, in which only 9300 votes were cast, compared with 13.000 in the 1938 general election. Three of the five candidates will probably forfeit their deposits. The figures after the provisional count were:

1 Mrs M. M. Dreaver (Governi ment) 4089 IW. IJ. Harlow (Independent) 3669 IN. Y. Douglas (Democratic Labour) 908 :R. P. Gardner (Independent) 398 ,H. T. Head (Pan-New Zealand) 14 There are 176 seamen’s, absentee and postal votes yet to be counted, but tiiey will not affect the result. I'art.culars ot the informal voting were not available at the week-end, but tlie percentage is stated to have j been comparatively low. ! An analysis of the voting at the 36 | booths showed that in the larger centres of population Mrs Dreaver headed the polling, !>eing successiul at Belmont, Birkenhead, and at one of the three Takapuna booths. Air Harlow led at Bayswater, Helensville, Milford, and in two of the Takapuna booths. M.nst of the north coast voted largely in lavour of the Government candidate. The country areas favoured -Mr Darlow almost in a l>ody. The remaining three candidates, Messrs Douglas, Gardner, and Head, will probably forfeit their deposits of £lO through attaining less than onoquartcr tlie number of votes cast for the successful candidate. A scrutiny of the rolls will begin tomorrow and it is expected that the official count will be completed at the end of the week.

Under the provisions of the Electoral (Members of Forces) Regulations ! gazetted last year and utilised lor the second time at the AVaitemata by-elec-tion, all New Zealand soldiers in the Dominion or overseas with residential qualifications in the electorate, will bo able to record their votes. After the poll has been held the returning officers will forward the results to the chief electoral officer in New Zealand by cablegram or other means. The soldiers’ votes under the new regulations were first east in the Waipawa by-elec-tion, 108 votes -being recorded. The returning officer for Waitemata (Air AY. A. AA’ilson) could give no indication of the total number, of soldiers eligible to vote in the election.

The voting at the 1938 general election was as follows: Lyon (Labour) 7806 Close (Nationalist) 5545 Majority tor Lyon 2261 SWING FROM LABOUR.

AVHAT VOTING SHOWS. CHRISTCHURCH, July 20. “Two things stand out in the Waitemata by-election,” said the Loader of the Opposition (Air iS. G. Holland) in commenting on the result. “The first is the unexpccteldy largo vote and the second the heavy landslide against the Government.” Mr Holland said in the 193 S election 59 out of every 100 voters voted for the Government but on Saturday only 44 in each 100 still supported the Government and its majority had been reduced from 2260 to 400. “Airs Dreaver had the advantage of a battery of the Labour Party’s front line platform speakers, so it can be assumed that the Government scored nearly its full strength,” said Air H9lland. “The same applies to Air Lei J’s candidate. It can thereiore be imagined what will happen to a majority of 400 when the National Party’s organisation swings into action. “Following on the Waipawa byelection and the municipal elections the result further demonstrates the pronounced swing in public opinion since 1938. Each election since then has made the writing on the wall easier to read,” concluded Air Holland.

MINISTER’S COMMENT,

AVELLINGTON. July 21

“The result of the Waitema.ta election is an endorsement of the policy of the Government,” said the ActingPrime Alinistcr. Mr Nash, last- night. “Parliament will be enriched by the presence of another woman member.”