PARTY VOTING STRENGTH

Taranaki Daily News, 14 October 1930, Page 7

PARTY VOTING STRENGTH

THE POSITION IN PARLIAMENT MR. LYSNAR DESERTS REFORM. A. definite declaration made in the House of Representatives on. Thursday bv the member for Gisborne ■ m respect to his party allegiance, •taken in con■junction with the results of the Wai pawa and Western Maori by-elections, gives, says the Wellington Post, a new interest to the balance of parties nv the House. Since the last General Election the results of by-elections have caused fluctuations in favour of the Reform •Party rather than of the United. Party? but the position is nearlyas it'stood at the end of 1928. •; ■■ The comparative state of parties immediately after the 1928 General Election and at the present time may be conveniently tabulated as follows: December, October, ~ 1928. 1930.

The qualified adherents of parties in 1928 are Mr. J. T. Hogan (Rangitikelp in respect to the United Party, and Mr. W. D. Lysnar (Gisborne) in respect to the Reform Party. In view of Mr. Lysnar’s announcement on Thursday—followed by his ' consistent action this session in voting with the United Party—that he now prefers to give assistance to the sitting Government instead of to the Reform Party, there appears to be justification for now associating him with Mr. Hogan, and an alteration has been made accordingly in the 1930 column. The strength of”the Labour Party has been increased bv the winning of the Hutt seat, while the small ranks of the Independents have been added to by the defection of Mr. J. S. Fletcher (Grey Lynn) from the United Party. The Country Party representative, Captain Rushworth, displaced Colonel Allen Bell in the Bay of Islands seat shortly after the General Election. Mr. Hogan has always been a definite Independent supporter of the United Party, attending the party’s caucuses. Until this session Mr. Lysnar has been equally consistent for a number of years in his support of Reform, but this session he has not given his vote on one occasion to the official Opposition. If he adheres to the statement he made he may henceforth be regarded a qualified United Party supporter, though there is no indication that he intends to attend Government caucuses.

... 28 26 Ind. United ... 1 Z Reform ... 2827 Ind. Reform ...-. .... 1 i—1 ... 19 20 Independent ... 3 4 Country Party .. 1