WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 21 January 1932, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE CENERAL ELECTION. COMPILING THE FIGURES. Special Correspondent. WELLINGTON, Jan. 19. The compiling of the precise figures of a general parliamentary election in this country, as in every other civilised country of any magnitude, is j a tedious task, and for many weeks past Mr G. G.Hodgkins, the head of New Zealand’s Electoral Department, and his staff, have been largely engaged in preparing for publication, down to the last vote, the figures involved in the electors’ selection of the law makers of the Dominion. Of course the material work of the election was determined within a tew hours of the closing of the polls, and it is to he feared that a large proportion of the electors were little concerned by succeeding proceedings; but Mr Hodgkins and bis staff were left with innumerable details which all need attention for some weeks yet before they can turn their efforts whole-heartedly to their preparations for another general election. Meanwhile it may he permissible for the layman to present some features of the recent general election from his own observations. UNCONTESTED. A feature of the recent general election was that no fewer than four of seventy-six European seats in the House of .Representatives were left ««- contested. It may he assumed that a large majority of the electors in these constituencies were so well pleased by their representatives during the three previous years that no opponent dared to assail them. Three of these complimented candidates were Umteds and one of them a Reformer, who, as events have shown, were to sit in harmony in the Coalition Camp. Be tween them at the General Election of 1928 tin- four constituencies concerned had ’cast ■ 30-027 for the United and Reform parties, while the Labour party, which contested only two of the four seats, secured no more than 1,212 votes- The absence of contests in the four seats indicated, of course, materially reduced the volume of the votes polled, and the total on a rough count) reached 380.754 Coalitionists, 244,194 Labourites, 64,240 “Others” and 453 Communists, the “Others ranging from the prospective Speaker to the inevitable Independents. labour party. The Labour Party obviously had made" a distinct advance, nominally, both in the volume of its votes and in the number of its members. In 1928 it polled 203,194 votes and twentyfour seats. It is doubtful however, if it has at all improved its position. As,a; party it has lost the sympathy of both the United Party and the Reform Party. Mr H. E. Holland, again leader of the Opposition, had doubtless -imagined that by renouncing the good-will of the United Party he might readily acquire the patronage of the Reform Party, but Mr Forbes was ready enough to free himself from an alliance that had been thrust upon him by 1 lis predecessor in office and Mr Coates was far too astute to entangle himself and his party with a similar arrangement. More than this the leaders of the Coalition Government knew perfectly well that the 244.194 votes cast for Labour at the recent election indicated less than did the 203.621 votes of three years ag°-

A LONELY OPPOSITION. With its two hundred thousand odd votes in the House in 1928 Labour was in a much better position chan it will he with its 240,000 odd when Parliament meets next month. While it had the balance o. power between the two parties it was able to exaet concessions of one kind or another fioni both ot them; but with fifty odd Coalitionists arrayed against them they will have no prospect of exacting more than their dues from the Government. It is conceded, as was inevitable that the Labour voie last month was not un: ssisted by huge numbers of Civil servants; who voted without reviewing the situation, and by both United and Reform electors who disapproved of the manner in which the Coalition Government was shaped. There were indeed many eases in which good Uni teds and good Reform electors openly announced their intention to vote Labour rather than follow the direction of those in authority to vote parties before men. In the circumstances it is surprising the allied parties fared no worse.