BY-ELECTION CONTEST

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24790, 15 December 1941, Page 6

BY-ELECTION CONTEST

BAY OF PLENTY SEAT NATIONALIST RETURNED A SUBSTANTIAL MAJORITY (P.A.) AUCKLAND, Dec. 14. The contest for the Bay of Plenty seat in the House of Representatives rendered vacant by the death of the former member, Lieutenant A. G. Hultquist, was held yesterday, and resulted in a clear-cut victory for the National candidate, Mr W. Sullivan. The result of the voting was as follows: — W. SULLIVAN (National) .. 4452 C. MILLS (Government) .. 2859 Majority for Sullivan .. 1593 Shortly after the last result had been received and the final figures announced, both candidate? spoke from the balcony of the (Masonic Hotel, Opotiki, to a big crowd in the street below. The new member, Mr Sullivan, expressed his thanks for the great vote

given him. He said the expression of opinion did not apply to the Bay of Plenty only, but was an indication of the feelings of the people of New Zealand. He had fought the campaign lone-handed, while his opponent had received the assistance of numerous speakers. The vote was an expression of opinion against the Labour Government’s policy. Mr Mills congratulated Mr Sullivan on his victory. There are approximately 750 soldiers’ votes yet to be received. The polling at the general election in 1938 was: A. G. Hultquist (Lab.), 4964; W. Sullivan (Nat.), 4795. TWO NOMINATIONS THE TEMUKA SEAT (P.A.) TIMARU, Dec. 13. Mr A. J. Davey, a member of the Geraldine County Council, the Timaru Harbour Board, South Canterbury representative on the Dominion Executive of the Farmers’ Union, the Electoral Committee of the wheatgrowers, and numerous other local bodies, has consented to nomination for the Temuka seat. Mr J. Acland, Mount Peel, a well-known farmer and a member of the Geraldine County Council and the South Canterbury Hospital Board, has also consented to nomination.,'He is a son of Sir Hugh Acland. of Christchurch. ••• . •- ■ , :V

THE PEOPLE’S VERDICT

VOTE FOR NON-PARTY GOVERNMENT

(P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH. Dec. 14. “This is no time for crowing 'over victory, but it is time for carefully taking stock of the position. It needs no words of mine to emphasise the importance and significance of the Bay of Plenty by-election because the figures speak for themselves,” said Mr Holland, Leader of the Opposition, today. “ The issue at the by-election was clear and distinct. Labour put forward its case to justify the continuance of party politics, whereas the National , Party strongly advocated sinking political differences in the common cause and the formation of a truly non-party Government for' the duration of the war. The Labour nominee was a particularly strong candidate, and we had the same candidate as in 1938. The Labour nominee had the advantage of a battery of leading Government speakers, including the Prime Minister and several other Ministers, whereas Mr Sullivan fought the campaign virtually of! his own bat. Mr Sullivan’s overwhelming victory, is the clearest, possible declaration', of public opinion that the people want to see party politics dropped, a nonparty Government formed, and the prime Minister and his colleagues cannot ignore this most striking evidence of public opinion. Following as it does on greatly reduced Labour majorities In the Christchurch South, Auckland West and the Waitemata by-elections, and the quadrupled majority scored by the National Party in the Waipawa ■by-election, the result is most significant. The Labour Party was very confident of success and left no stone unturned to ensure the, polling pf every vote possible. . and had it achieved the result it hoped for it would unquestionably have claimed that the vote was an endorsement of its policy and administration. No explanation or excuses can explain away the fact that although there were 1000 fewer votes on the roll than at the general election the national party scored more votes at the booths counted on Saturday night than it did in 1938, where the Labour vote dropped by more than 1700. Mr Sullivan, the new member for the Bay of Plenty, registered a majority at 66 booths on Saturday compared with 37 booths in 1938 “Mr Fraser and his Ministerial colleagues must, sit up and take notice of the by-election result. To ignore it would be to disregard the value of public opinion. Mr Sullivan will greatly increase the strength of the Parliamentary Opposition and of parliament itself. He is a forthright speaker and a man of the widest experience. He has all the qualities to fit him for a wider sphere of public service and I am confident he will do very well as a member of Parliament.” «