ANOTHER MINISTER BEATEN.

Wairarapa Age, 21 November 1928, Page 5

ANOTHER MINISTER BEATEN.

• CHANGE IN MATAURA. VOTES WRONGLY ALLOTTED. The state of political parties is further changed hy the discovery ef a mistake in the counting of votes in the Mataura electorate, where the Minister of Labour (the Hon. G. J. Anderson) was at first shown to have retained his seat. The rectification of the mistake gives the seat provisionally to the United Party candidate. The change in the position of the two contestants occurred as the result of tho official count, which is now in progress, revealing that a parcel of 99 votes at one of the polling places had been wrongly credited to the sitting member. The readjustment made the condition of the poll as follows:— D. McDougall (U) 4036 Hon. G. J. Anderson (R) 3871 Majority for MeDougall .. 165 There are 460 absent votes and postal votes still to be counted, but Mr. Anderson would have to receive about two-thirds of these in order to retain the seat. MB. ANDERSON RETURNS. BACK FROM TRIP ABROAD. Mr. Anderson arrived in Wellington by the Maheno yesterday on his return from an eight months’ health-recruit-ing trip abroad. He appears to be much improved in health as the result of his respite from political activities. “Not a word,’’ the Minister replied when he was asked if he had any comment to make on the political situation. Mr. Anderson left for England in March last in order to consult a Harley Street specialist concerning his health. He visited the Continent and Scotland, and was present with Sir James Parr, High Commissioner for New Zealand, at the signing of the Kellogg Peace Pact in Paris. He returned to New Zealand via South Africa and Australia, spending about a month in the Commonwealth. Mr. Anderson declined yesterday to say anything for publication, either about his trip abroad or concerning the change which has taken place in the political outlook in his absence. STATE OF PARTIES. With the Matauza seat allotted to the United Party, the state of parties now is:— Reform 27 Independent Reform .. .. 2 United 26 Labour , 19 Independent 5 Country Party 1 Total 80