GENERAL ELECTIONS

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1687, 17 November 1925, Page 5

GENERAL ELECTIONS

WAIKATO ELECTORATE.

FINAL LICENSING FIGURES,

The returning officer, Mr A. A. Chittenden, has now completed the recount of all the licensing votes, also the absent votes for the Waikato electorate, and he supplies us with the following final figures:— Continuance 2973 State Control 683 No License . 3372 Informal 64 Total votes 7092 In this total there were 441 absent votes, made up as follows: Continuance 220, State Control 28, No License 184; informal 9. The figures three years ago were: Continuance 2592, State Control 475, No License 3167; a total of 6234 valid votes. ’■ Thus it will be seen that three years ago the No License votes were exactly 100 less than the combined Continuance' and State Control votes. This time, with a larger total, the difference is 284. The percentage of Continuance votes to the total three years ago was 41.57 and this time it is 42.30. Similarly the No License votes three years ago was 50.80, while now it has receded to 47.97. The State Control vote in 1922 was, as now, a minor factor, but it has grown appreciably, for then its proportion of the valid votes was 7.61, and at the latest election the percentage was 9.71. Chatting on the subje'ct of his work as returning officer, Mr Chittenden said his greatest trouble was the absent votes, mentioning tiiat the absent votes three years ago were about 130, whereas under the new system this time a total of about 450 had to be dealt with for Waikato alone, while many votes were cast here for electorates all over the Dominion. Each had to be investigated, checked and recorded, involving a lot of work. The returning officer speaks very highly of the reliability and courtesy of his staff, and says they have worked like Trojans throughout and thus assisted him very materially. LATEST ELECTION RESULTS. THE WAITOMO ELECTORATE. Mr A. J. Bennetts, returning officer for the Waitomo electorate, announces that the final count leaves Mr Rolleston with a further majority of 76 since the night of the election. After counting in the absente votes, the final figures are as folows:— J. C. Rolleston 4531 W. J. Broadfoot 3096 Majority for Rolleston 1435 Informal votes .... 59 There were 521 absentee votes, but a number of these were disallowed, the names of the absentees not being on the roll. THE LICENSING ISSUE. The following are the final results for the Waitomo electorate on the licensing poll: National Continuance ... 4309 State Control 568 Prohibition 2702 Informal 105 7684 In stating these results, the King Country Chronicle says there, was a total of 5489 eligible votes on the roll for the district, and out of these there will be only 803 who did not record their votes. Considering the vast extent and scattered nature of the electorate, this goes to prove the interest that was taken in the election for both the issues. The Waitomo electorate is one of the most difficult in the Dominion, and some idea of the work entailed will be realised when on election . day Mr Bennetts received and had to deal with 400 telegrams in regard to absent votes. This was work in addition to the general supervision of the election. THE WESTLAND SEAT. VOTING EVEN, WITH THREE VOTES TO COME. (By Telegraph. Press Association.) GREY,MOUTH, Monday. The official scrutiny in connection with the election for the Westland seat has now been completed. The position is intensely interesting, the result being at present that both candidates are equal, as follows: J. O’Brien (Labour), 4174; T. E. Y. Seddon (Nationalist), 4174. There are three absentee votes to come, on which the issue of the election now hangs. THAMES SEAT. OFFICIAL RESULT. (By Telegraph. Press Association.) THAMES, Monday. 'The official result of the polling in the Thames election is as follows: T;mW. Rhodes (G), 5112; W. E. G. Willv (N), 1S05; A. R. Ross (C), 409; A. J. Whiteside (I), 223; informal, 94. HAMILTON ELECTORATE. FINAL FIGURES. Hamilton, This Day. The official recount of votes in the Hamilton electorate shows: Young (G) 6830, Martin (L), 2105, Milner (N) 996; informal 100. The licensing vote was: Prohibition 5243, continuance 4500, State control 1184; informal, 104. THE RAGLAN SEAT. MR BOLLARD’S BIG MAJORITY. HAMILTON, This Day. The Raglan figures are: Bollard, 4470 Piggott 1014, S. Lye 965, Duxfield 222.