THE ELECTIONS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2334, 16 December 1914, Page 6

THE ELECTIONS

A GOVERNMENT MAJORITY OF TWO • THE. WAIRARAPA SEAT FALSE ALARM IN CITY EAST The state of parties remains undisturbed by the official election returns to hand. The Wairarapa seat has gone to the Opposition candidate, Mr. Hornsby, and it is not at all likely that the results declared after the preliminary count on Thursday night will be varied by the official counts now being made, or to be made in a day or so. The returning officer for Tauinarutui has advised the; Chief Electoral' Officer that he hopes to' make his official declaration this evening. It is fairly safe to assume, therefore, that in the new' Parliament the state of parties will' be — Government, 41; Opposition, 39. ; Wairarapa Seat. The returning officer for Wairarapa made his official declaration of the result of the poll yesterday afternoon. Tho figures give Mr. Hornsby a majority of 60 votes. Following are the figures<as declared by the returning officer: — J. T. M. Hornsby (0.) 3165 Sir Walter Buchanan BO 3105 Opposition majority 60 A City East Matter. It'has been stated that Mr. G. Blatherwick, one of Mr. M'Laren's scrutineers: at the official count, has lodged a petition aga-inst the rewirn. of JJr. Newman for Wellington East, on the ground of alleged irregularities in regard to the counting and scrutiny of Expeditionary Force votes. It is true that Mr.Blatherwick has forwarded. U letter to the head of the Department '•Wγ. James Hislop) protesting against the manner adopted of dealing with these votes, but liis letter does not constitute a petition against the return of Dr. Newman. An election petition is a much more formidable document, which must be forwarded, not to the Chief Electoral Officer, but to tho Supreme Court of New Zealand. Furthermore, there is a safeguarding clause in the Expeditionary Forces, Voting Act which provides that under no circumstances shall any election be;upset because of alleged irregularities in connection with Expeditionary Force votes. The reason for thie. somewhat unusual clause was fully explained and well understood when the Bill was b'efore the. House. It

was agreed that as the Act would make such a new departure in election methods generally, it. was possible that unforeseen difficulies might arise, and this clause was inserted to ensure that no serious trouble might follow from them. It was quite true that the scrutineers could not check the votes to be counted. There was no way in which they 'could ; ascertain, for instance, that members of the Force ' voting were entitled ■ to vote in any particular electorate. All of the members of the Force were given a vote, although some of them were under twenty-one years of ago, and many of them wore not on the rolls for their districts. As against this, however, the poll was taken by trusted officers of the Department, and the greatest carewas oxercised to ensure that everything was done in proper order. The Chiet Electoral Officer informed a reporter yesterday that no irregularities had occurred iii the handling of the soldiers' votes in the Wellington East .election. He had carried out in their entirety the provisiqns of the' Expeditionary Forcos Voting Act..

OFFICIAL RETURNS

Following are additional final returns to hand: — ■ . DUNEDIN NORTH. A. Walker (Lab.) ..... 4073 G. M. Thomson (R.) .3749 Labour majority ......'. ;. M 324 One absent vote to come. ASHBURTON. -W. Nosworthy (R.) ..-' 3786 W. S. Maslin (O.) 3039 Reform majority' ; 147 DUNEDIN CENTRAL. J. W. Munro (Lab.) 3799 C. E. Statham (R.) 3791 Labour majority. ' 8 NORTHERN MAORI. Tau Henare (R.) ..' 909 Hemi Te Paa (0.) ....; 703 Riapo Timoti Puhipi (R.) 694 Paraohe Kawiti (1.) 692 Hepo Heni Papakakura 359 Heremia Te Wake ..........;....... 218 Paraone Hoori 186 Anaru Ngafvaka 183Majority for Henare \. 201 OTHER RETURNSCHALMERS. Dunedin, December 15. The official count for Chalmers gives the following result: — J. M: Dickson (R.) ' 8,199 W. D. Mason (O.) 2,513 G. "S. Thomson (I. Lab.) 657 INVERCARCILL. , Invercarglll, December 15. The official recount in connection with tho Invercargill electorate shows:— J. A. Hauan (O.) 4,618 J. F. Lillicrap (R.) : 3,028