THE BY-ELECTION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 8, 4 October 1918, Page 6

THE BY-ELECTION

LABOUR CANDIDATE WINS

MANY VOTES NOT RECORDED

SCENES AFTER THE POLL

The palling in tho "Wellington Central by-election took place yesterday, and resulted iu a win for tho Labour candidate, Mr. P. Fraser. Much interest was taken in tho contest during the day, and it was evident early that the superior organisation of the Labour Party in the electorate was having its effect. Very few Labour voters were left unpolled, while on the other hand many Liberal ar.tl Reform voters did not go to tiie poll at all. 'l*he people who were working in tho interests of the National Government candidate (Mr. W. T. Hildrotli) reported _ that they found many apathetic electors. Tho number of persons o:i the roll entitled to vote was approximately 9176. Of this total, 4719 persorts, or rather more than one-half, recorded their votes yesterday. The Labour candidate secured 266S votes, an absolute majority of the votes cast. Three of the candidates, Messrs. Atmoro, Garmson, and Tanner, lost their doposits. Polling closed at 7 p.m., and tho first returns readied tho Returning Officer within fifteen minutes. A crowd of SCOO or 6000 people gathered in Willis Street, where the results were posted. Labour sympathisers predominated largely, and as the successive returns were displayed there was much cheering.. The announcement of the final result produced an enthusiastic demonstration of approval. The returns from the. various pollingplaces were as follow:—

B 0 c § 2 - * Øog 9 2 js § J § flj b a £i Sri Vivian Street 33 1058 6 147 186 '2 Alexandra, Hall ... 29 314 6 134 195 '2 Unper Willib St. 35 186 4 129 183 5 Gliiizneo Street ... 32 303 3 159 129 0 Taranaki St. (Wcbley School) 2 60 0 18 28 0 Manners Street ... 17 197 3 £6 72 0 Arc Street ' 9 178 3 24 105 0 Courtenay Place ... 10 137 3 47 40 0 Tory Street 9 157 0 45 39 0 Taranaki St. (Mt. - Coolt School ... 4 73 1 25 6T 0 "' Totalß 185 2668 28 7M 1044 9 CANDIDATES'SPEECHES MUCH NOISY ENTHUSIASM. After the posting of the final returns, five of the candidates spoke, or attempted to speak, to the big crowd opposite the "Evening Post." The crowd gave .a quiet hearing to tho official Labour candidate and his supporters, but it was in no mood to. listen to anybody else. A few of. the Labour supporters had come provided with missiles in the form of eggs tand partially dccaycd fruit, and the acting leader of the Liberal Party, the Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald, received a share of these favours when he made his appenyance on the platform. Mr. Fraser, who was the ■ first speaker, thanked the electors for the support they had given him, and stated that lie regarded his victory as a foretaste of the political triumphs that were going to be won by the Labour Party throughout New Zealand. Ho had been asked a question regarding his loyalty at the opening of his campaign, and lie had replied that ho thought lie was loyal. Apparently the majority of the Wellington Central electors thought so also. His victory was a defeat not merely for the German Kaiser, but for all that the "New Zealand Kaisers" stoQd/for. It was a dc'.'eat, too, for the Protestant Political Association, which had tried to appeal to the lowest and vilest sentiments of religious bigotry in order to stifle Labour. Mr. Fraser said the result of the election would ho hailed by air workers as au indication that,the day of their emancipation was approaching. Mr. Tanner spoke briefly amid laughter and interruption. He said that he had not exncct.od to win. He lamented tho early demise of the "National Democratic Partv'' lie had intended to form.

Mr. Mack .appeared on the platform, and was received with n deafening o'ut.burst of hoots. He did not persist in the attempt to speak and retired l unheard. .

Mr. Ifiklreth congratulated Mr. Fraser. • He said that ho himself had fought a clean battle., without personalities or animus. He regretted exceedingly that sectarian issues bid been imported into the contest. The. supporters of the Labour candidate had worked hard for their man, and it was not surprising that they had won the battle.

Mr. Atmore also congratulated the successful candidate. He said the figures were a plain indication that the electors wanted no sectarianism', and that they Were opposed* to the National Government, which had neglected the cost of living question and failed to gunrd the interests or tho people. The Hon. AY. D. S. Mac Donald, who was persistently interrupted and counted out{ said that he camo forward as a member of the National Government. Ho wanted to say that the Government had always been anxious to protect the interests of the workers. The victory of the L'abour candidate was a victory for organisation, and it proved agaiii tho truth of the old saying. "United we stand, divided we fall." The National Government had approved a candidate and left him to fight the election on his merits, without any interference by Ministers. After much interruption, and after being struck by several missiles, the Minister added that lie hoped the victory of the Labour candidate would be for the benefit of Wellington and of New Zealand.

Mr. FT. Holland. M.P.. Mr. R. Seniple. and Sir. J. M'Coinlis, M.P., also addressed the gathering. They denounced tho efforts of the Protestant Political Association to introduce a sectarian issue into politics, and made strongly-worded attacks upon Mr. Mack. -

Speaking to a Dominion re]>orter last night, Mr. M. J. Mack. Independent Labour cimdidntc. said that he could congratulate Mr. Eraser upon his vorv handsome win. The successful candidate 1 had secured an absolute 'majority of the votes cast. It was unfortunate that the electorate 'generally had shown a great deal of apathy hbout the contest, scarcely more than one-half of the voters having gone to the-poll. Mr. Mack added that the result of th" election must be regarded as a decided rebufl to the National Government.'

THE P.P.A. . REV. HOWARD ELLIOTT'S VIEWS. The Rev. Howard Elliott, speaking to n Dominion reporter after the announcement- of the results, said that tho result of the election had come as a distinct surprise to all concerned. Mr. Fraser was not to ho congratulated on being aide to .secure such a vote for such a platform as his. The position held by Mr. Mack in the final result was highly creditable, in that he was second, defeating the National Government candidate. The speeches made by tho successful candidate and his friends dealt largely with the. sectarian influence in the liMit. and they were not sparing in their invective against the P.P. A.' "Our only regret is," said Mr. Elliott, "that the scctariai) iseue was not

more clearly set out and vigorously proclaimed. Labour's| majority includes tho wholo voting strength- of tho Koman Catholic Church in the electorate. The sectarian factor has been influential in politics for so long that it is no new factor. The P.P.A. is organising tho Protestant interests, that Protestantism may exercise its rightful influence in this country. That we chose the most difficult electorate in Now Zealand to begin the light in, and succeeded in placing our man second 011cournges the hope that under fairer conditions and with closer organisation the future lies with Protestants in tho realm of politics."

Mr. Elliott added that one very gratifying feature of tho election from his party's point of view was that all the work had been done voluntarily. One factor that had contributed very largely to Mr. Mack's position is that pi inanv hundreds of doctors were off the roll. No doubt the Protestants would learn the lesson which the election had. taught—all the conviction and enthusiasm is worthless if it had not a vote, and a vole could only be secured by enrolling. THE' NEW MEMBER Mr. P. Fraser was horn in Rossshire, Scotland, and was connected with the Scottish Land League agitation and the Independent.Labour Party before he came to New Zealand in 1910. He soon became prominent in Labour circles in this country. He was associated with the-AVaihi strike and afterwards became organising secretary of the Social Democratic Party. He was a leading figure in the waterside strike of 1913. In 1916 he was convicted of having used language of a seditious tendency, and was sent to prison for a year. Mr. Fraser is a waterside worker by occupation. He is. at present acting as editor of the "Maoriland Worker."