THE ELECTIONS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2333, 15 December 1914, Page 6

THE ELECTIONS

NELSON SAFE FOR REFORM WAIRARAPA STILL IN DOUBT No announcement will be made until noon to-day about the Wairarapa contest. There were rumours last night as to the result of.the count, but tie rumoure wore absolutely without foundation. The Chief Electoral Officer (Mr. James Hislop) communicated by telephone with the Returning Officer at Carterton last night, and the information be received was that the Opposition candidate, Mr. J. T. M. Hornsby, wbb fctill leading by 17 votes, but that none of the absent votes or Expeditionary Force votes had yet been counted. The Returning Officer hoped to announce the result by noon to-day. According, to our Wairarapa.correspondent one outstanding Expeditionary Force vote is holding up the count. The Nelson Seat. The official declaration of the poll for Nelson as conveyed by telegraph to the Chief Electoral Officer by the Returning Officer at Nelson is as follows s— "Subject to the consideration of 26 declarations, and with about 12 , permits to come, the figures are: Atmore, 3310: Field, 3103. MajonIty, 93." The rapid circulation of this new 6 yesterday afternoon stifled a host cf rumours that had been prevalent, during ' the day. Following are the figures for the preliminary' and the official counts:—' i . Preliminary. Official. T. A. Field (R.) .;. 323G . 3403 H.'Atmore (0.) .- 3147 , 3310 Majority for Field . 149 03 These figures 'indicate that 270 voteshave been added to the candidates' totals—lo7. to Mr. Field's total, and 163 to Mr. Atmore's. But previously, it has been stated officially that there were only about 200 abseno votes and soldiers' votes recorded, so that it may be assumed that some of the change in' the totals is attributed to. errors discovered by the official count.

Eastern Maori. No new figures were received for any of the Maori constituencies yesterday except from the Eastern District. There all the returns have been received, and the final count is as follows: — A. T. Ngata (0.) 4977 H. Tekana Pere (R.) 2195 Opposition, majority 2782 The Prims Minister. In view of the fact that the state of parties still'remains: Government, .41; Opposition, 39; and that at least one Beat is still doubtful, the Prime Minister stated .yesterday that he "would make no statement regarding the elections. HAWKE'S BAY SEAT EXPEDITIONARY ANT/ABSENT VOTES.:., (By TeleEropa.—Press Association.) Hastings, December 14. • There were 217 Expeditionary andabsent voters' papers returned for Hawko's Bay, of these 119 went to Dr. M'Nab, and 98 to Mr. H. M. Campbell, reducing the lattor's majority, from 217 'to 196. ■■':■' "..'. . ■" • The absentees voted on the licensing issue as follows: — ;'. Ccntinuance ..' ...141 No-License 73 National Continuance ............... 104 National Prohibition :.. ,112 . GREY LYNN RECOUNT MR. M'LEAN IN SECOND POSITION.: (By ieleirraph.—Press Association.) Auckland, December 14. The official recount of the poll in. Grey Lynn is not yet completed, there being still returns from four, booths'to check. At the present.stage Mr. J. Payne's election is confirmed.. It has been discovered that at one'booth fifty votes polled for Mr. Murdoch M'Lean, the Government candidate, were omitted in error from the, count. The effect of the addition of these and ah-

sent votes cast for him is to give -Mr. M'Lean a majority of one vote over Mr. Fowlds, : the • other' Labour candidate, for second, position. The 208 votes of absentees, seamen, and soldiers; for the Grey Lynn elec-. torate were distributed' as follows:— Murdoch M'Lean,' 74; Geo. Fowlds, 49; J . Payn'e, 24. Informal: (uusluding 68: votes cast by members. of "the Ex-' peditionary Force for - the Opposition, and invalidated because there. Was no official nominee of the Opposition Party), 61—total'208. Thursday's returns gave Mr. Payne a majority of 112 over ,Mr. Fowlds, but the .altered figures have reduced that majority to one-of 86 oyer. Mr. M'Lean, and the present position is as follows: J. Pavne 2924 Murdoch M'Lean :..... -2838 G. Fowlds ....'..; 2837 Majority for/Payne '86 'THE RAGLAN SEAT . (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Hamilton,'Decembor 14. . Seen by a pressman to-day in reference to a published statement that Mr. Bollard, member for Raglan, intends resigning in favour of Mr. F. M. B. Fisher, Mr.'Bollard declared that he knew nothing whatever of'the matter. He had riot been approached by the Government or anyone else. The thought had never entered his head of resigning in favour of the late Minister of' Marino: Even if it was proposed, the'question, would then, bo one for His. constituents to decide.:/'; '.""