WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 7 June 1929, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS

HOME ELECTIONS. KEEN LOCAL INTEREST. (Special Correspondent.) . WELLINGTON, June 4. Tiie interest shown here in the Home general election was scarcely less keen than that displayed in the Dominion general election five months ago. The returns seemed to come to hand very very slowly, many people forgetting the difference between London and Wellington times-.and laying the blame rupon the cable service or the newspapers or some other factor readily at hand. The figures which came through on Saturday showing that the Labour Party, so far as,the counting had gone, had a majority of both votes and seats, .were greeted warmly by the rank and file of the Labour Party here and the ienthusiasts were not to be depressed by the later news, which showed the tale of seats .practically unchanged, but a substantial margin'of votes turned over to the Conservatives. The local Labourites, indeed, with the whole facts disclosed are pluming themselves upon a “ famous victory,” and predicting a similar achievement for themselves when the next Dominion election comes round. “ THE LUCK OF THE ELECTIONS.” The “Dominion” this morning in reviewing the situation -manages to fill a douhle-colu ; mn leading article in explaining that the Conservatives polled a substantial majority of votes over the Labourites, but were unable owing to the “ luck of the elections ” to secure a corresponding number of seats. “In round figures,” it says, “the results worked out as follows: — , Total Seats Average votes, won. votes per seat. Conservatives. 8,536.835 254 33,600 Labour ••• 8.317,025 237 28,900 Liberals ••• 5,226,614 57 91,000 In other words! the Liberals only secured one seat for every 91,000 votes recorded for the party’s candidates; the Conservatives one for every 33,600, while Labour secured one for every 28,000. votes. The Labour Party thus had all the best of -the luck of the voting returns.” With 608 ...of the contests decided,'-with a rational system of voting, 231 seats would have gone to Coiiservatives, 225 to,..Labour, 114 to Liberals and eight to Independents. But politicians still seem to prefer the luck of the ballot.

« WHICH MINORITY? ” Under this heading the “ Evening Post ” offers its quota of advice to Mr Baldwin as to the course he should follow' in the predicament he finds himself. “With every Liberal •’Vote secure,” itysays, discussing possibility of Mi- Llovd George coming to the succour of the embarrassed Premier, “a Conservative-Liberal Government would command •• majority of only 24 —proportionately equal to a. margin of three in the New Zealand .Parliament. With such a margin, and'hampered by the necessity for considering'.-varying shades of Liberal opinion -as well as Conservative differences, what hope would Mr Baldwin have of carrying out a policy which would rehabilitate his party? He would be dancing .on a tight-rope. It appears to us that for his own comfort and without sacrificing the interests of the country he will choose the solid grounds of opposition, well knowingrthat.it is solid.” This at a distance seems the sound counsel of an observant friend. ...

“ GREATEST REVOLUTION ARY CHANGE.” • Mr H. E. Holland,, the leader o'f the New Zealand Labour Party, sends from Westport a message in which lie styles the result of the Home election as “ the greatest revolutionary change in British political history.” Whether or not this estimate of what happened in tlie Mother-. Country last week will he accepted by the .historians of the (future remains to be seen. Quite probably they will lie divided on the subject. Meanwhile it would'- be interesting if Mr Holland—-who.,to his credit, is a strong and eloquent advocate of proportional representation—Would explain how he comes to rejoice at the prospect bf eight and a-half million electors dominating fourteen million in the direction df the affairs of the Empire. Jt is needless to say, he declares, that *'ir MacDonald and his colleagues will justify the confidence reposed? in them bv the British electors and by the Labour movement throughout the world. . Just. so. But what, about the fourteen million dissenting electors.