PARTY FORTUNES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23170, 17 October 1938, Page 13

PARTY FORTUNES

PAST ELECTION FIGURES TRENDS OF LAST 45 YEARS TWO LONG REGIMES Trends in New Zealand political opinion over the past 45 years may be surveyed in figures showing party strengths in the House of Representatives after 14 general elections. The real gauge of public opinions/of course, is to be found in the aggregate voting figures for the respective parties at each poll. Under the "first past the post" system it is not uncommon for a moderate majority of the total vote to secure to a party a relatively much larger majority in Parliament. This effect was not eliminated by the second ballot system which was used 1 in the 1908 and 1911 elections. The figures since 1893 are as follows: Liberal sition Others 1893 .. 62 (Seddon) 16 2 1896 .. 41 (Seddon) 26 3 1899 .. 63 (Seddon) 16 1 1902 .. 48 (Seddon) 19 3 1905 .. 66 (Seddon) 16 4 1908 .. 48 (Ward) 26 6 Reform Lib. Lab. Others 1911 .. 38 (Massey) 36 3 3 1914 .. 40 (Massey) 31 8 1 1919 .. 46 (Massey) 20 11 3 1922 .. 38 (Massey) 22 VI 3 1925 .. 66 (Coates) 10 12 3 United Ref. Lab. Others 1928 .. 26 (Ward) 29 19 6 Coalition 1931 .. 61 (Forbes) Labour National Others 1935 .. 66 (Savage) 19 6 The table clearly reveals the divergent conditions which prevailed in the two long regimes of Seddon and Massey. The two-party system helped to give Mr. Seddon an overwhelming majority throughout his years of office, and the 1905 election, in the year before his death, was a. culminating triumph. between 1919 and 1922 Mr. Massey* never had a comfortable majority, and this state •of affairs contributed to the formation of a National Cabinet during the war years. Fluctuations in the fortunes of the Liberals after Mr. Seddon's death can be clearly seen, together with the state of the parties by which the United Government, under Sir Joseph Ward and Mr. Forbes, was sustained in office first by Labour and then by Reform. The rise of Labour as a third party and the one , setback which it received when Mr. Coates swept the country in 1925 are also apparent, as is the turn of fortune which then gave Labour, in spite of reduced numbers, its first term as the official Opposition. It lost that status in 1928 and did not regain it until the formation of the Coalition Government in 1931, since when there has been a reversion to the two-party system.

MR. HAMILTON'S VIEW x VERDICT ACCEPTED THE WILL OF THE'PEOPLE WORK AND FIGHf AGAIN [by TELEGRAPH-yOWN "WELLINGTON, Bunday "The fight is over, and, I must congratulate Mr. Savage and his party on their decisive win," said th® Leader of the National Party, the Hon. A. Hamilton, in an address following the announcement of election results last night. Mr. Hamilton said that it appeared that the final result would be something like Labour, 54; National, 26. "I have just returned from the dominion office, where perhaps my voice was not distinctly heard over the voices of the crowd," he continued. "They were fairly noisy. "We did our best, and the electors have decided that for another term of office they desire a Labour Government. We bow to the will of the people. "It is a good thing to have a decisive result, Mr. Hamilton continued. "I can only say I hope, that the people of New Zealand will prosper. The good of the country transcends any personal desires or ambitions." Mr. Hamilton congratulated members of the National Party who bad been returned to office, both former colleagues and new members. To those who had been defeated, he offered his thanks for the gallant fight ibey had PU,t 'We are beaten now, but we will continue to work and we will fight again," he added, behave moved up from 19 members to what looks like 26 I wish sincerely to thank those who have worked and voted for us. ' Special thanks were returned by Mr. Hamilton to the electors ot Wallace, his own electorate, for their continued confidence in him. He said he would pay an early visit to the electorate. "We have fought a good fight, he concluded. "We are defeated, buty not ashamed."

NEWS ON BOARD LINER BUSINESS MAN'S INTEREST News of the general election the Dominion was received on board tne liner Aorangi before she berthed at Auckland yesterday on her arrival from Vancouver, and one of the quesJons of Mr. H. Clayton, a prominent .English business man who is visiting New Zealand in the course of an Empire tour was what was the attitude of the business community 'to the Labour Vl M°r ry clayton, who has already visited Canada and Fiji, will travel New Zealand before leaving for Australia. South Africa, Rhodesia and pewfiblg He will return to