NOSWGRTHY LEGACY CARRIED JONES AND BURNETT IN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18614, 16 November 1928, Page 1

NOSWGRTHY LEGACY CARRIED JONES AND BURNETT IN.

ASHBURTON PAPER ANALYSES VOTING.

Though the final results of the contests in Mid-Canterbury and Ternuka will not be known for some days, says the Ashburton “ Guardian,” it is already clear that the forecast published in the “ Guardian ” last Saturday was an accurate one. In Mid-Canterbury, absentee votes apart—and there are no less than 680 of them—Mr David Jones is in the lead by the narrow margin of 69 votes. What the issue will prove to be is therefore most uncertain, and we will reserve any comment pending the official declaration next week. In Temuka, with the absentee votes still to be reckoned, Mr Burnett’s lead is just 79, but the fact that those absentees are only' about 300 reduces the odds against him, and the chances are that the Returning Officer’s final declaration will be in his favour. If this is so, Mr Burnett will have to thank the legacy Mr Nos worthy left him and not the southern portion of the electorate which he himself lias represented in the past. The Postmaster-General was always very strongly supported in the area between the Ashburton and Rangitata Rivers, the hills and the sea, and though (for one or two specific reasons) Mr Burnett did not maintain Mr Nosworthy’s figures, he nevertheless scoured 1450 votes against Mr Lang1, ,id’s 1299 in the Ashburton County. This sectional majority of 151 enabled im to rve'come a deficiency of 72 in •or her--; por'ion of the electorate, Ka 79 to spare. Mr Jones should be equally grateful to his Ministerial friend for again it

was that portion of the Mid-Can-terbury constituency formerly represented’by Mr Nosworthy which provided the majority of 69 at present subsisting. The area of the old Ashburton seat included in Mid-Canterbury com-

prises the Borough of Ashburton, its suburbs (Allenton and Hampstead), Elgin, Fairton, Pendarves, Dromore, Newlands, Seafield, Seaview, Wakanui, and Winchmore, and at the booths in these centres Mr Jones’s lead over Mr Connolly was 125. This means that he was 56 votes behind the United candidate in the area which they both contested three years ago.

And even with this Nosworthian legacy, of course, as the “ Guardian has previously pointed out, the Reform candidate could not have hoped for a. favourable result but for the intrusion of a Labourite into the Central Canterbury sheep-fold.