The Voting Analysed

Northern Advocate, 27 September 1943, Page 4

The Voting Analysed

A provisional count of the voting for Saturday’s general election shows that 831,080 people exercised their right in the 70 European electorates. This figure is by no means complete. In 1935’s bitterlyfought election, 834.C82 votes were cast In 1938, the total was 924,057. The following table shows the division of votes between the parties and groups and the percentage .each gained of the total provisional poll®— Votes Per cent.

Totals 831,080 100.00 In the last election, the provisional count gave Labour 475,167 votes, or 55.56 of the total, so that it has been reduced by more than 8 per cent. The National vote at the 1938 provisional count was 351,287, or 41.05 per cent., giving it an increase of more than 2 per cent. Dividing the total votes east on Saturday by the number of seats would give an average electorate of 10,935. Taking this as a quota would give the parties the following representation for the European seats, compared with that provisionally returned:— Proportion Returned

Totals 76 76 A further analysis of the voting on Saturday, compared with the provisional count for 1938, is shown in the following table:— > 1943 1938 Vari-

Other groups, such as Communist, Liberal and Liberal Labour, which contested seats in 1938, disappeared completely at this election, but were replaced by others, such as the People’s Movement and Real Democracy Movement. The aggregate vote for these was 12,847. Rural and Urban

A comparison of the totals of .votes cast in urban electorates comprising the four metropolitan areas, including suburbs, and those cast in electorates outside the four centres discloses that there was a majority for Labour in the former and for National in the latter. A similar result is shown if electorates containing the larger provincial centres are added to the urban electorates and omitted from these classed as rural. It is evident, therefore, that Labour enjoyed a preponderance of support in those electorates in which industrial workers outnumber those engaged m rural pursuits. The figures are as follows:

Urban electorates (four metropolitan areas and suburbs). —Labour, 201,320; National, 144,495; majority for Labour, 50,825.

Areas outside of the four main centres. —Labour, 192,229; National. 221,665; majority for National, 29,436. Urban electorates, including provincial centres (Gisborne, Hamilton, Hastings. Invercargill, Masterton. Nelson, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Timaru, Napier and Wanganui).—Labour, 266,558; National, 188.833; majority for Labour, 77,725. Rural electorates.—Labour, 132,699; National, 166,421; majority for National, 33,722, -

Labour 393,605 47.36 National 359,911 43.31 Democratic Labour . 36,599 4.40 Independents 28,098 3.38 People’s Movement . 7,389 0.89 Real Democracy ... 4,421 0.53 Others 1,057 0.13

Labour ' 36 40 National 33 35 Independents 3 i Democratic Labour .. 3 0 Others i 0

Labour 393,605 ation 475,167 -81,562 National 359,911 351,287 *8,624 Independents .... 28,098 29,178 -1,175 Democratic Labour 36,599 — *36,599