STATE OF PARTIES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2336, 18 December 1914, Page 6

STATE OF PARTIES

ALL SQUARE PARTY LEADERS SPEAK MR. TAU BENARE'S POSITION Pending recounts, and pending also, perhaps, the outcome of certain threatened election petitions, the state of parties is that the Leader of the Government has the support of 40 members and that the Opposition Leader can count upon .the support of 33 Liberals, 4 Labourites, and 3 Social Democrats. Mr. Massey is • still the leader of by far the biggest party in a Houso which contains four parties. Doubtful Seats. No more news has. been received as the result of the official count of the votes in Taumarunui. In Dunedin Central and Hawke's Bay where a Labour and a "Liberal" candidate respectively were declared to be elected by narrow margins, recounts are being applied for. SIR JOSEPH WARD. ON CONSTITUTIONAL LAW. (By Telejrraph.—PreEs Association.) Auokland, December 17. Interviewed yesterday on the political situation, Sir Joseph Ward remarked that it had developed in an unexpected way since the previous day, and the parties were now even. "This," added the Leader of the Opposition, "makes the course which the Government should take quite clear. I take it that the Constitutional position muet be. followed. The Government are now in an actual minority in the House, as they must necessarily appoint a Speaker. There is therefore one of two courses that must be adopted by the Government: Eithor they must resign or they must call Parliament togothor without any unnecessary delay, as at present it is quite clear the_ Governor is without Constitutional advisers who have the confidence of the country and the Houso. That is a position that cannot be maintained or trifled with. Apart from this, there is considerable doubt as to the position of a northern Maori member, who is at- present included as a Government supporter in the counting of party votes."

MR. MASSEY REPLIES. THREE YEARS AGO—A CONTRAST— AND A SUGGESTION. 'In reply to the statement by the Leader of the Opposition, the Prime Minister, in an interview by a Dominion reporter, said:, "I cannot forget the action, or, rather, inaction, of Sir Joseph Ward and his party after last election, when the country definitely decided against themJ Parliament was not convened until (speaking from memory) about tho third week in February. Ido not propose to follow any such example. There may beo ther changes yet, but you can take it from me the Government will play the game, and do the right thing under the circumstances. Cabinet will meet at the earliest opportunity to consider tho now position that has arisen, and it will decide upon a definite course. One thing is quite certain: if wo cannot carry oh, there'is no other party m New Zealand at the present time that can do so. The Reform Party is a united party. The Opposition consists of at least two sections, which have practically nothing in common except, perhaps, a desire to punish the Government for doing its duty last yeav, and, as a consequence, to occupy the Treasury benches. "May I suggest to Sir Joseph WaTd that it would have been, I think, better form on his part if he had exhibited a little more patience. Three years ago the then Leader of the Opposition sat back for' sis weeks and practically said nothing to embarrass tho Government m power, allowed them to formulate their plans, and mako all the necessary arrangements before calling Parliament together, and it might have been better if on this occasion Sir Joseph Ward had taken a leaf out of our book.. In several cases the official doclaartions of the polls have not been made, and in other cases recounts have been applied for, so that there is no certainty yet as to what tho final result will be."

AN OPPOSITION CANARD

ABOUT BELATED RETURNS.

A sinister suggestion has been made by an Opposition journal that the delay in the 'declaration of the official counts for this election is part of some scheme of which the Government are the authors. The delay is significant, this paper says, and "suggests that there iB reason for something more than uneasiness in high places." The fact is that there has been no unusual' delay. What is unusual in this election ie the interest taken in the official counts in a number of the electorates. Not only have several contests been deoided by email margins, but an unprecedented number of ab-' sent votes have had to be added at the final counts. The actaal counting of these extra votes takes no appreciable time, however —perhaps half an hour at the most. These official counts have been made by rotmrning officers in just the same way in past years, and with jusf as much "delay." But in past years the returning officers made their announcements, and nobody troubled much about them, whereas this year everybody is waiting most anxiously to read them. The following statement of the facts of the case was made to a. Dominion reporter by the Chief Electoral Officer yesterday.— "The statement that there has been j an extraordinary delay in- the announce- j ment of the final figures of the- various contests, and that at previous elections the electors have know within a few hours of the results, absent voters' permits and all, is entirely contrary to fact. "There is no alteration in the procedure- under the Legislature Act ■ this year and that of previous l elections. What is termed in the Act the preliminary count after the closing of the poll is undertaken by the deputy-returning officers, and each deputy-returning officer immediately after ascertaining the number of votes recorded for the several candidates, makes' up into separate parcels the used ballot papers, etc., each parcel, in accordance with Section 137, Sub-section 2, Legislature Act, being sealed by the deputy-return-ing officer, and '■ by such scrutineers present as desire to affix their _ seals, and forwarded with all possible dispatch to the Eotuniinß Officer. As soon as these are to iiand the -Act provides that the- Returning Officer shall mako arrangements for the scrutiny of the rolls, and shall give notice in writing to each of the- cnmlidates of the time and placeat which ho shall commence the scrutiny. After , tliis work has been completed the Returning Officer shall, with such assistanco as 'lie deems necessary, and in the presence, of such scrutineers attending, and also in the presence of some Justice, open. the parcels of used ballot papers forthwith, in order to sco whether any are informal. Subsequently lie shall count the number of votes received by each candidate and the number of votes rejected as informal, and jomoexe the results, of fluoli count .with.

the list made by the Deputy-Returning Officer at tho preliminary count. It was in this count that the error in respect of the votes in Wellington East and Hawke's Bay was discovered. "In the centres where polling booths arc situated within a reasonable radius the Returning Oilicer can proceed with the scrutiny of the rolls and the counting of tho votes within a few hours after the announcement Las been made or the results of tho preliminary count, but in districts liko Hawko's Bay. where the electorate extends over a considerable area, it will- bo recognised that the delay ;u the return of the electoral rolls and ballot papers from the booths will necessarily prevent tho Returning Officer fxom making his official declaration of the count for. several days after the General Election. For this reason provision is always made for a week or ten days to elapse from the date of tho poll to r.he date of the return of the writ, in order that time may be given the Returning Officers in the scattered districts to make their official count. ''This year the General Election was held on December 10, and the writs are returnable on Saturday, December 19. In two electorates on the West Coast of the South Island, I have already had to agree to an extension of the date of the return of writs until December 30, as on account of floods in those districts the mails have been delayed, and the Returning Officers have not yet received the used ballot papers back from a number of the booths. Consequently they have so far been unable ■to carry out the work of the scrutiny of the rolls or tho counting of the votes."

NORTHERN MAORI SEAT

MR TAU HENARE'S POSITION. (By Teleeraph.—Prera Association.) Auckland, December 17. An Interesting dispatch has boen received from the "Herald's" Kawakawa correspondent with reference to the attitude of Mr. Tau Henare, the political representative .of the Northern Maori District concerning whom there aro many inquiries during tho last few days. The , newly-olected member has received great numbers of letters and telegrams from men in prominent places, but he has declined to make any definite announcement. Several Taiana chiefs assert that they supported Tau Henare because they believed he would support Sir Joseph Ward, and they now demand that he declare himself within a week. Other influential Natives have telegraphed to Tau Henare suggesting a conference of eight tribal representatives to decide what party he will support, but Tau Henare only replied: "Call to your mind the saying of our ancestors: 'If the karaka berry ie eaten too soon it makes one drunk. , " Several Whangarei gentleman telegraphed Tau Henare, asking whether he supported Mr. Massey or Sir Joseph Ward, and he replied with all courtesy that he would allow .them two guesses. A movement is on foot to present a petition against the election of Tau Henare on the ground that at several places there were no European returning officers, and that at one place the booth was not even open. The correspondent, after remarking that this morning Tau Henare was deluged with correspondence, and hearing a rumour that the Opposition organiser was in the district left on a visit to the bush in the back-blocks, proceeds:—ln- .the course of an interview with the "Herald", correspondent, Tau Henare said that ho waa not pledged to either party, but his general inclination was to support tho present Government on a want-of-confidenoe motion.' Hβ would not be a party man. He would represent the Northern Maoris, many of whom were on either side. He was not a plaything to be found in Mr. Massey'a pocket or Sir Joseph Ward's pocket, and ho was not a dog to respond to the crack of the party whip. .:'.

OFFICIAL RESULTS MAGISTERIAL RECOUNT APPLIED FOE. (By Telegraph.—Prose Association.) Dunadln, -December 17. Mr. Statham has applied for a Magisterial recount for Dunedin Central. • OAMARU. I Oamaru, December 17. The final figures are:— E. P. Loe (It.). ...3408 J. A. Macpherson (0.) 3070 Informal 99 WAIRAU. Blenheim, December 17. The final returus show the following figures :— R. M'Callum (0.) 3517 J. Duncan (It.) 3148 Geo. Turner (I.) 25 ' Informal '.. 109 WAIPAWA. G. Hunter (It.) 3282 A. E. Jull (O.) 3144 Hunter secured 82 absentee votes, Jull 106. There were 96 informal Totes, STRATFORD. J. B. Hine (R.) 2855 W. H. Hawkins (0.) 2219 , Informal 56 TIMARU. ByTetoera-ph— Preas Association—Oopyrieht Tlmaru, December 17 J. Craigie (0.) 4308 F. H. Smith (R.) 3198 Informal • 86 WELLINGTON EAST RECOUNT TO BE MADE! Mr. D. M'Laren informed a Dominion representative yesterday that application for a recount in Wellington East had been made in his behalf, and that notification had been received to the effect that the .application has been granted. . It is understood that the recount will take place before a magistrate almost immediately.

THE HAWKE'S BAY SEAT

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Napier, December 17. The returning officer is still busy with the roll, apparently satisfying himself that everything is in order. When seen late this evening he stated that he had no information for tho Press, further than that ho had to make his official declaration on Saturday.