TO-DAY'S BY-ELECTION

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18192, 13 September 1933, Page 7

TO-DAY'S BY-ELECTION

• v. *-'v LYTTELTON CONTEST i ■' * SPECTACULAR CAMPAIGN 61 MEETINGS IN TWO DAYS j (Per Press Association.) ■ * C CHRISTCHURCH, this day. . To-day is polling day in the Lyttelton by-election, and last night the candidates and their supporting speakers made their final appeals to the electorate after one of the most spectacular campaigns in the * history of New Zealand politics, y ‘ In the last ' two 'days' there have been 61 political meetings in the electorate. .Three Ministers; including the acting-Priine Minister, and > .several members of Parliament, have taken an actiye-part on .behalf of the Coalition candidate, Mr P. W. Freeman, tied the Leader of the Labor Party, and a strong body of Labor members have ■helped Mrs E. R. McCombs. The Independent Labor candidate, Mr E. L. Hills, has held fewer meetings, and has been overlooked in the intensity of the struggle of recent days. The Rt. HOn. J. 0. Cbates addressed his last meeting in the* campaign at Lyttelton last' night; When he had finished. lip ithe audience for an extraordinarily good hearing. ‘‘l can’t understand it,” he said. “I was told I would never get out of here alive.” V' There was another meeting in addressed by the Labor candidate and Labor members. Mr Coates had very good hearings at all his ‘ meetings. At some there have been interjections, but most of the noise’has come from a few people. The only meetings at which organised interruption went near to denying a hearing io the speaker were some of the earlier meetings of Mr Freeman. At the last two general electrons, the Lyttelton seat was held by the •Labor candidate on a minority vote, the majority in 1931 being only 32. Details of the polling in the previous contests are as follows: ' 1928. J. McCombs, Labor .. .. 3022 J. W. Beanland, Reform .. 3036 T. Lester, -United .. • .. 2734 1931. J. McCombs, Labor .. .. 5404 P. W. Preeman, Coalition .. 5372 W. L. Page, Independent .. 83 Arrangements have been .made for the result of to-day’s poll to be posted at the Herald office. It is expected that the first returns will be available by about 7.30 p.m.