WELLINGTON NORTH ELECTION

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16149, 1 March 1918, Page 6

WELLINGTON NORTH ELECTION

BET CRN OF MR. J. P. LUKE

(STECIAL TO "THE PRESS.") WELLINGTON, February 28. The by-election for the return of a member of the House of Ilepresentativcs for tho Wellington North elector- 1 ate, in place of the Hon. A. L. Herdman, took place to-day, and resulted in the return of Mr J. P. Luke, the National Government official candidate. Tho polling figures were: — John P. Luke, National Government official candidate ... ... 2950 H. E. Holland. Socialist Labour ... ... 2566 A. de B. Brandon, National Government supporter ... Sl6 A. J. N. Poison, Independent Liberal ... 720 Majority for Luke ... 420 At tho general election in 1911 tho voting was:—A. L. Herdman (Reform), 4193; Dr. Izard (Liberal), 2SS3; E. P. Caroy (Labour), 11S5; and in 191-1 the figures were:—A. L. Herdman (Reform), 4550; W. It. Tumbull (Liberal); 1895; H. K. Holland (Labour), IGSS. A BIG PERSONAL TRIUMPH FOR -MR MASSEY. (special to "the pbess.") WELLINGTON, February 28. Tho victor?- in Wellington North today has been a bis personal triumph for Mr Massey. Those of the supporters of Mr Herdman who refused to follow Mr Luke did their very best to persuade Mr Massey to withdraw Mr Luke, but Mr Massey never gave them the slightest reason to hope that ho would do so. So they persisted in tho fight against him. Mr Brandon has always declared that iho stood as a protest against the introduction into New Zealand of tho political boss methods of America./ His protest was worth 816 votes. What Mr Brandon did not say was that the pcoplo pulling tl»o (strings who brought up Mr Brandon as a candidate, have never been supporters of Mr Massey. They arranged to have Mr Brandon nominated, and tlio nominators were Reform supporters of other days, but the arch-conspirators were not Reformers. Air Massey and Sir Joseph Ward both spoke to Air Luke's committee tonight, congratulating tho commitee on tho victory. Both spoke of tho importance of the win as a sure indication of the constancy of Now Zealand in war effort, and as an indication—very important at tins time—that this virile young country was still of a mind to stay by the Empire in the fight for liberty. The vote for Mr Holland, big as it is, need cause no apprehension. It is not an indication of growing strength of Bolshevik sentiment in Wellington North. It was made up of the steady 1500 Socialists in the electorate, reinforced by several hundreds of "trade" voters, several hundreds of men crowded into boarding-houses to comply with the one month residence qualifications, anl a few people with cold feet who hoped Mr Holland might retard or stop the sending of reinforcements to the nrmv. THE NEW MEMBER. Mr J. P. Luke C.M.G., has been Mayor of Wellington for some years, and has done yeoman sorvice in tho cause of patriotic work during tho war. At tho general election of 11)08 he was returned for the Wellington Suburbs seat on a second ballot as a Liberal. la ! 1911 he stood for the Wellington Suburbs seat as an Independent Liberal, and was beaten by Mr YV. H. I>. Bell, j In 1914 he unsuccessfully contested tho Wellington South seat in the Reform interest. [ =====