ANOTHER VICTORY FOR REFORM.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1548, 18 September 1912, Page 6

ANOTHER VICTORY FOR REFORM.

The victory for the Beform party in tho contest for the Ejjmonfc seat is, we believe, fairly indicative of public feeling throughout the Dominion. The Massey Government has "caught on" with the country, and seems likely to continue to grow in favour. At the general election Me. T. Mackenzie, then Minister for Agriculture, by means of special appeals to the farming community in his capacity as a Minister, and by virtue also of his platform ability nnd personal popularity, won the Egmont seat for his party after a hard fight with the sitting member, Mb. Dive. Mr. Mackenzie's majority on that occasion was 1)27; ycstciday the Reform candidate converted that majority into a minority of 577. or a-gain to the Kcform party of over 900 votes. These figures speak for themselves as to the change of feeling in the electorate in favour of the. Massey Government, and our antireform friends will find it somewhat difficult to explain them away, particularly, in view of the fact thai, their candidate, Mn. Astbury, is very, popular personally, and wns regarded as the man on their side most liknly In win the wet. The I'mmi.iijibla nature of the victory gained

will perhaps be bettor realised if we' give the figures recorded at the different contests for the Egmonfc scat since the days of tho Atkinson Government. They are as under:— 1800-Arkinson, Sir If. A. (O.) lOflfi M'Guire, F. (1.) jM Majority m 1893-M'Gnire (I.) j^ Robbing B. C. (O.) 1170 Allsivorth, E. (G.) J^ Majority 189G-Symes, W. (G.) »*>'J Monkhoi.se, W. (O.) H,O Harkness, J. G. (O.) .' _U« Majority 31i) 1899—Symcs, W. (G.) 2253 Jlonkhouse, W. (O.) l»8o Majority 2CB 1902-Jonnings,-W. T. (G.) U7GS Leech, C. (O.) l|so .' 15 1905-Jcnnings, W. T. (G.) 2G15 Leech, C. (O.) IMfl Campbell, H. A. (I.) Jls Majority GSO 1908-Dive, B. (O.) 2108 Wake, G. P. (G.) 215!. Majority 249 Mil-Mackenzie, T. (G.) « Dive, B. (0.) 2082 Majority 327 1912—Wilkinson, C. A. (R.G.) 2705 Astbury, D. L. A. (L.0.) 2128 Majority 5" It will be seen from the above figures that since 1890, whenSiß HARRY Atkinson represented it, until 1908, Egmont returned supporters of the Continuous Ministry. Mr. Dive won the seat for the Reform party in 1908, but lost it again last year. Now it is regained for lteform by a majority exceeding even that secured by Sir Harry Atkinson. It is to the credit of Mr. Wilkinson that he gained his victory without assistance from' Ministers. They very properly kept aloof from the struggle and permitted the candidates to fight it out on their merits. On the other hand, Mr. 'Buddo, an ex-member of the Ward Ministry, went to the electorate to advise those conducting the campaign for the anti-Reformers, but his visit was hardly likely to have any material effect in furthering the interests of the so-called Liberal candidate. While tho Reform party and Mb. Wilkinson are both to be congratulated on their victory_ over, the strongest candidate the njiti-Rcform-ers' could put into the field, the electors of.Egmont must also feel gratified to know that they have not only helped forward the cause of Reform, but have secured a representative who will do credit to their district and to the Parliament of New Zealand.