The New Zealand Times. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1911. YESTERDAY’S POLLING

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7978, 8 December 1911, Page 6

The New Zealand Times. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1911. YESTERDAY’S POLLING

The result of the polling taken yesterday throughout the Dominion leaves the public in a state of suspense, for Opposition and Government are at the moment running neck and neck. So far the honours are with tho Opposition. With the representation of forty-seven constituencies decided the Ministerialists number twonty-two and the Oppositionists twenty-five. Opponents of tho Government have wrested from Liberal members Dunedin Central, Auckland West, Waipawa, Oamaru, Waikato, Taumarunui. The only seat gained by tho Government is Egmout, ■ where the Minister of Agriculture won by a fair majority. Members of the last Parliament actually defeated wore Messrs Greonslade, Jennings, Arnold,' Poole, Duncan (Liberals), and Mr Dive (Opposition), while at Waipawa Mr George Hunter has defeated Mr Jull, who stood in the Liberal interest on tho retirement of Mr Charles Hall. AVo need hardly say that wo are surprised at some of these results—particularly at the defeat of Messrs Jennings and Arnold, and in a lesser degree at the substantial vote recorded against Mr Poole at Auckland. It had been hoped that Liberal candidates would be successful in a few constituencies formerly represented by opponents. Mr McNab, for instance, was certainly expected to do better than ho did at Palmerston, Mr McCluggago was looked upon as likely to displace Mr Hino at Stratford, and Wakatipu had been counted as already won from Mr Fraser. These ' and other hopes have been very rudely disturbed, and taking the position revealed this morning -with the probabilities of Thursday next tho future can hardly be gauged with certainty by cither .side. There are thirty second ballots to be decided, and if the voting at thes’e discloses the same tendency as the voting of yesterday we may look forward to parties being more evenly balanced before, and a narrow majority ■ dominating tho House. In Wellington only one member has been returned — Mr Herdman, who emerged at the head of tho poll with a very handsome I aggregate indeed. In Central, Fast, South and Suburbs tho struggle will bo renewed to-day. Hero the chances are distinctly favourable to the Liberal candidates, and iv’th a combined effort these scats are all to be won for Liberalism or Labour. If the Liberals in tho South, East and Suburbs vote—as they undoubtedly should, for Messrs Hindmarsh, MoLardh and Moore, and the Labour vote in Central goes to Mr Fletcher, all of these gentlemen can be returned and the city receive its proper party representation in tho new : parliament. In Otaki a different comj bination will ho wanted to return Mr ; Field, and there are other constitueni cics where combinations of an entirely reverse character may follow. It will he observed that Sir Joseph ’Ward had a substantial majority in

Awarua, but it will also b© noticed that three of his colleagues hare still to loam their fate. For two of them the outlook is not very encouraging.