THE LYTTELTON ELECTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15479, 10 December 1913, Page 6

THE LYTTELTON ELECTION.

Lyttelton is repeating the history of Grey. The party now in Opposition has been able for many years to rely on a majority in both constituencies; in both cases the once triumphant party went to the polls full of confidence and sue-

ceoded only in accumulating evidence that the spell which for so

long gave them place and power in New Zealand has been completely broken. In Grey the Opposition candidate just missed a place in the second ballot and only an alliance between the Opposition and the forces of the Federation of Labour prevented the success of a strong Government candidate. Since the Grey election the Opposition Party has been rallied under the leadership of Sir Joseph Ward and their work during the session now closing has given the Lyttclton electors the opportunity of appraising their presont worth as a political force. The result, as shown by yesterday's poll, is sufficiently crushing to make the party recast their estimates of the results of next year's general elections. Mr. Laurenson, the approved Opposition candidate, was probably the strongest personality in the contest, but his personal and party vote combined left him a bad third and the total votes cast for candidates ticketed ''Liberal" was much below the number cast for the nominee of the Government, which was popularly supposed to have no chance in Lyttelton, whatever it might do in country constituencies. The final decision of the Lyttelton electors is to be given at a second ballot next week between Mr. McCombs,

described as a Social Democrat, and Mr. Miller, the Government candidate. Lyttelton is one of the storm centres of the strike and Mr. McCombs represents the Federation of Labour and justifies all its works. Is the history of the Grey election to be repeated at the second ballot as at the first '! If the votes cast for Opposition candidates yesterday are to be polled against the Government nominee at whatever cost, as was the case in Grey, the Federation of Labour will have another representative in Parliament and the Opposition Party will have bought at a high price another troublesome and half-hearted supporter. If, on the other hand, the thirteen hundred electors whose votes are to decide the contest exercise a free choice between the candidates on their merits the second ballot should give the Lyttelton seat to the Government.