GENERAL ELECTION

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11393, 14 December 1922, Page 5

GENERAL ELECTION

THE FINAL POSITION GOVERNMENT IN A MINORITY OF FOUR. HON. E. P. LEE OUT BY 2a. While the official counts are not yet concluded, practically all the seamen’s and absent votes have now been accounted for, without making anj change m the strength of parties in the new Parliament. The Hon. E. V. Lee (Minister tor Justice) has now been definitely defeated, the majority against him on the official count totalling 25 votes, with 9 votes yet to come. Mr J. A. Macpherson (Liberal) has thus defeated, though by a narrow margin, the one Minister who has failed to be re-elected. Mr J. _ Edie has beaten, by a majority of 95, Mr A. SMalcolm, the former Chairman of Committees ; while the latest figures from Awania give Mr de la Perelle (Liberal) a lead of 55 over the former member for the electorate (Mr J. R. Hamilton, R.). The final figures from the Oroua electorate show that the Hon. D. H. Guthrie (Minister for Railways) has beaten Mr Cobbe (Liberal) by the small margin of 43 votes.

OFFICIAL COUNTS further final results. ROSKILL. •V. H. Potter (R.) 4838 A. Hall Skelton (L.) 2831 Miss E. Melville (I.R) !617 J. Purtell (Lab.) 1481 Majority for Potter 2007 KAIAPOI. Hon. D. Buddo (Lib.) 3328 •D. Jones (R.) 3263 R. D. Martin (Lab.) (36 Majority for Buddo 63 The absentee votes were distributed as follow:—Buddo 67, Jones 46, Martin S 3. RICCARTON. •G. Witty (Lib.) 3240 H. S. S. Kyle (R.) 1 3000 J. A. McCullough (Lab.) 2341 Majority for Witty 235 DUNEDIN NORTH. •J. W. Munro (Lab.) 5003 J. J. Clark (I-R.) 4940 ' Majority for Munro 37 DUNEDIN SOUTH. •T. K. Sidey (Lib.) 5480 J. E. MacManUs (Lab.) ......... 3750 Majority for Sidey .'..... 1730 CHALMERS. •J. MeC. Dickson (R.) 8644 J. Stephens (Lab.) 2965 Majority for Dickson 679 CLUTHA. J. Edie (Lib.) 3770 •A. 8. Malcolm (R.) 36:6 Majority for Edie 31 OAMARU. J. A. Macpherson 4073 •Hon. E. P. Lee (B.) 4047 Majority for Macpherson ... 25 Nine absentee votes to, come. DUNEDIN CENTRAL. .•C. B. Statham (I.) MB J. Gilchrist (Lab.) 4961 W. S. Maslin (I. Lib.) 346 Informal 66 Majority for Statham 617 WAIRAU. W. B. Girling (R.) 8931 »H. MeCaUum (Lib.) 3805 Majority for Girling 186 WAITEMATA. •A. Harris (R.) 4586 F. H. Burbush (Lib.) 3315 R. F. Way (Lab.) 2047 Majority for Harris 1271 GREY LYNN. »F. N. Bartram (Lab.) 5648 W. J. Holdsworth (1.R.) 4241 Majority for Bartram 1407 ■ EDEN. »Hon. C. J. Parr 3893 H. G. B. Mason (Lab.) 3226 F. S. Morton (Lib.-Lab.) 1390 Majority for Parr 667 AUCKLAND CENTRAL. #W. E. Parry (Lab.) 4586 A. B. Glover (Lib.) 3783 Majority for Parry 1003 OROUA. •Hon. D. H. Guthrie (R.) 3634 R. Cobbe (Lib.) 3591 Majority for Guthrie 48 AWARUA. The latest figures give P. A. de la Perelle a lead of fifty-five. There are some absentee votes to come in, but they cannot affect the result; OTAKI. The official oount in the Otaki electorate is not yet completed, but the absent Voter*’ count resulted as follows: •W. H. Field <R.) 91 G. H. McClure (Lib.) 73 C. I. Harkness (1.R.) 10 Majority for Field 68 PARNELL. •J. S. Dickson (R.) 4789 S. M. Wren (R) 2468 O. Mcßrine (Lab.) 1 2282 W. Noton (Lib.) 1240 Majority for Dickson 2324 PAHIATUA. A. E. Ransom (Lib.) 3541 •A. McNicol (R.) 3482 Majority for Ransom 59 MATAURA. •Hon. G. J. Anderson (R.) 4089 D. McDougall (laE) - 3031 Majority for Andereon 1058 MANUKAU. W. J. Jordan 4626 •Sir F. W. Lang 4411 W. D. Adnams 301 Majority for Jordan 209 Adnams forfeits 'hie deposit. AUCKLAND WEST. •M. J. Savage 5604 J. Farrell 4345 Majority for Savage 1340 AUCKLAND EAST. 3. A. Lee (Lab.) 5226 •Clutha Mackenzie (R.) 4511 Majority for Leo 715

CABINET MEETING BUT “NO STATEMENT TO MAKE.” Sir Heaton Rhodes (Minister for Defence) and the Hon. W. Noaworthy (Minister for Agriculture) arrived in Wellington yesterday morning from the South Island, while the Hon. J. G. Coates (Minister for Public Works) arrived from Auckland and the North, thus completing the tale of Ministers in town. A fully-attended Cabinet meeting was held during the afternoon, and it is understood that the position created by the general election was discussed. The Prime Minister, however, informed a “Times’’ representative that he would have no statement to make on the matter until the final results of the elections were definitely known. The people of the Dominion could take it for granted, however, that he would follow the constitutional course. It is not likely that a full meeting of the Reform Party will be held till after the Christmas holidays. f

LIBERAL-LABOUR PARTY. MEETING OF EXECUTIVE. A meeting of the executive of the Liberal-Labour Party—Messrs T. M. Wilford (Leader), T. K. Sidey, W. A. Veitch, G. W. Forbes, R. Masters, and the 'Hon. A. T. Ngata—took place yesterday; but Mr Wilford afterwards informed a “Times” representative that until a meeting of the party.as a whole had been held, he would have nothing to say for publication with regard to the political situation. The date for' the party conference has not yet been fixed. A LABOUR STATEMENT Mr H. E. Holland (Leader of the Official Labour Party) has issued the following message to his supporters:— “Labour has recorded magnificent Dominion advance. Hearty congratulations to every elected member, and heartiest congratulations to every defeated candidate who loyally carried banner of Labour into fray. Let our Pecember 7th victory he an incentive to greater achievements. If Labour’s foes combine in House, Labour will he Official Opposition. If they fail to combine, there must he another election. If this occurs, Labour should Contest every electorate where there is Labour organisation. Eternal vigilance is price of liberty. We have done splendidly in fight just ended. We must be determined to do better in fight that is coming. Therefore let whole army of Labour be ready to again enter field at short notice.”

POSITION UNCERTAIN LABOUR LEADER’S VIEWS. AMALGAMATION OF PARTIES SUGGESTED. •3B PBESS ASSOCIATION. WESTPORT, December 13. Speaking last evening at the Labour function to celebrate the Labour vioories in Buller and throughout, the Dominion, Mr Holland, Leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party, said the outstanding feature of the elections, just held, was the great advanoe made by tjie Labour Party in the constituencies contested, and the fact that no sitting Labour members suffered defeat. Seventeen candidates, endorsed and pledged to the New Zealand Labour Party, had scured election, representing more thqn 100 per cent, increase over Labour's 1919 results. The present position was one of uncertainty, and another ‘election within the next six months was quite within the hounds of possibility. Although he personally did not think it probable he anticipated sufficient Liberals would go over to Mr Massey to give him a comfortable working majority. This they could safely do in view of their individual election pledges to support Mr Massey as against the Labour Party. Also the Leader of the Liberal PaTty had made emphatic pronouncements on behalf of his party that they would never give a vote with the Labour PaTty to turn the Massey Government out, and further, would, never take office with the support of the Labour Party. Hence, assuming Mr Wilford and his supporters meant to live up to their election pronouncements, there did not seem anything for it but on one hand coalition between either the whole or a section of the Liberals and Government Party, or on the other hand a fresh election. COALITION LOGICAL.

In his opinion a Reform-Liberal coalition would represent the logic of political development, for there was no real line of demarcation between these two parties, which must coalesce ultimately, and- another election, under the present electoral system, could only result unsatisfactorily. Between the two of them and the Labour movement there was a dividing line recognised by all. The most sensible way of all out of the difficulty would be for Parliament to meet, put through supply, enact proportional representation, and then dissolve. With the electoral system shorn of the first past the post defects there would be certainty that in the new Parliament ‘both the majority and the minority would have adequate representation, and the anomaly of the minority would be obviated. He hoped if it should come to another election the Labour Party would recognise the wisdom of placing a candidate in the field in every electorate.

UNUSUAL POSITION VOTING PAPERS MISSING, DISCOVERY AT TE KUITI. Per Press Association. TE KUITT, December 13. When both candidates for Waitbmo addressed the crowd 1 on Thursday night last, J. G. Rolleston was leading by 121, with three returns to come. These reduced bis total to 96, and careful cheoking of telegraphic messages further reduced his lead to 83. That was the position when the official recount started on "Monday. Up to the present Rolleston has received 70 absentee and declaration votes, and W. T. Jennings 120. Kiritehere showed ten more votes than Rolleston was entitled to, which reduced his majority to 23, and there are still a small number of absentee votes to come. Mahoenui ballot boxes have arrived ,at Te Kuiti, but the voting papers for the poll and licensing are missing. Jennings had 48 and Rolleston 38 there.