Westland By-Election

Northern Advocate, 4 December 1947, Page 4

Westland By-Election

Though by-elections in New Zealand are generally admitted to possess less value, as pointers to political opinion, than that which attaches to similar contests in Britain the result of the by-election for the Westland seat in the House of Representatives, which resulted in the return of the Labour candidate, Mr J. B. Kent, must be regarded as significant.

The by-election was held to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Mr James O’Brien, a veteran in the Labour Party’s ranks, who had held the Westland seat for many years. The contest, which was a straightout fight between Labour and Nationalist candidates, was won by Mr Kent with a majority of 1915 (exclusive of some 500 votes yet to be counted) over Mr J. F.- Lockington. who carried the Nationalist banner, the voting being: Kent 7039, Lockington 5724. In round figures the result means that, compared with the polling at the last general election, Labour lost 2058 votes and Nationalists gained 743, though the uncounted votes may alter the position slightly.

The following analysis of the polling is interesting: Labour secured 57 per cent of the votes cast as against G 7 per cent in 1946; and Nationalists polled 42 per cent as against 32 per cent in 1946; while Labour’s majority represents 15 per cent of the votes cast, against 34 per cent in 1946.

The Prime Minister, speaking after the declaration of the poll, expressed the opinion that the result of the election was very satisfactory, and “the majority fulfilled my own expectations,” but the Leader of the Opposition had equally good reason to regard the result as very satisfactory from his party’s point of view, for it revealed marked progress in what Mr Fraser had described as an “impregnable Labour stronghold.”

The late Mr O’Brien’s personal popularity on the West Coast was undoubtedly a great asset on election days, but. even allowing for that, Mr Fraser was constrained to say that “the substantial reduction of the Labour vote yesterday has to be frankly admitted.”