THE WAIRAU SEAT

Marlborough Express, Volume LXII, Issue 269, 15 November 1928, Page 5

THE WAIRAU SEAT

mr 0. f. healy's victory. MAJORITY OF OVER 300. One of the big surprises of the election was the defeat of the Gov ernment member. Mr W. J. Girling, by Mr E. F. Healy, of Blenheim, who was contestiag the seat in tlilo United Pavty's interests. Mr Girling' s seat was rogardcd in official quartena as a particularly safo oue and the result oame as a surprise outside Blenheim, although the member'. s friends in Blenheim wero well aware yesterday that the United Party's candidate had made great headway with the electors and that the result would be very close. Yesterday was bright and sunnv all day, the conditions being ideat, and the polling throughout ihe electorate was extraorclinarily heavy. The Marlborough Express had made its uisual very eomplete arlangemeuts for the display of the qasults, a featur© on this oecasion being the introduction of wireless. whio h kept the crowd outside tlie officc in constant touch with the Wellington raclio station. By this means tlie cheering of ihe erowcls which had assembled in Wellington ceuld be hoard, and the speeches of the various candidates in Wellington were also audible. The Express, however, did npt use the wireless reports for its election boaids, preferring to,. adopt the more rehable and accurate telegrapliic system. The wireless broadcast, however, proved Jiighly inteiesting to the big erowd, which was also eniertained with a sliort eoncert of music by the Regimental Band, playirig in the Rotuncia. The booths closod at 7 p.m. and .just six minutes later the first return— from the Wharanui booth — was posted. It was followed a couple of minutes later by tlie return from East Bav. Each succeeding return saw Mr Girling slowly losing ground and at 7.30 p.m., with ten returns in, he was 30 votes behind his opponent. Tua Marina. which polled 100 for Mr Girling and 65 for .Mr Healy, piit the sitting member' s ncse in front for the tirst tirne, but lie reeeived a set-baek when the first returns carne from the Blenheim Town Hall and by 8.45 o'clock, he was a couple of liundred votes to the bad, with only 10 booths to eomc. Half an hour later Mr Healy had won the seat be\ ond an;y doubt. R.espending to pemistent calls of ' 'Corrie on, Ted !'•' from the assembled crowd, the successful candidate and his defeated opponent, who had heen waiting in The Express Offiee, walbcd out on to the temporary platform toi fo.ee a storm of cheering and appkuse. Tlre band; on tjjhe 'ilistant Rotunda, had been v atchfullv awaiting the appearance of the candidates, and as they emerged from the doorway of The Espress Offiee into the blinding hght of the eleotrie lamps, the strains of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" burst forth. Mr Girling was the first to speak after a prolongcd dem'onstration of eiithusiasin had . mon>entaril3r subsided. fi "I want, first of all, to congratulate Mr Healy on getting to the top of the poll," he said ; and the candidates sponta.neously turned to oue arother and shook hands warmly while the crowd cheored and cbeered agatn. "Mr Healy and I have been ^ friends for riiany, many, ycars," Mr Girling went* on, "and I trust we will be friends forever! (Hear, hear and apphuise) It has been a good eontest, and the best man apparently has won." A Voice : Not necessarfly ! "I am quite preparcd to admit that, as far as the eontest is concerned, it has been fought very elcsnly indeed," Mr Girling oontinued. amid renewed applaiisc. "I can see a cbange is desired, not oiily in Marlborough but, T bolieve. m many other paris of New Zealand. (Applause). It looks to me, as far as I can see, that a Change of Government will nndoubtedlv be brought about. If fliat is so I sincerely trust tluif Marlborough will sti'll be represeuted by a, Government mipporter (Loud applan.se). I qmte realise that, in that respeet, it is an ajfivf ntago to the district." Mr Girling went on toi express his sir.cere thanks to those who ] ad supported liim at the poll. "I am quite pleased to hand over offiee to Mr Healy," he said, "and I am su re he will look after yonr interests as I. have ©ndeavored to do during tlie pa,st six yenrs. f\iiplnuse). I thank you' for the support you have accorded me and again eongrat-ulate Mr Healy on his success," (Applause). Shouts of "Good old Ted!" and "Giod man, Ted!" greeted Mr Healy as he stepped forward to speak. "You have done me th© greatest hcror that you could do to any man in returning me tonight at the

top of tlie poll," tio declared. "1 must say, as Mr Girling has already said, that we liave had a great, clean, honest fight; and I am pleased to> see that Mr Girling is man enough to take his defeat in a gentlema'nly manner, which I knew he would do — (Applause) — and the same as I would have done if, I had been. in his place • to-night. It hnsi been one of the few contests in New Zealand — five, I think- — fought between twoi candidates. To-day you have shown exaetly what you think of both of us, and the difference has not been great. (Applause). It has been a elose' ecntest, a see-saw right from the word cgo.' Whoever won, it was swinging: m the hahince as tlie figures wero annoiinced. (,Applause). "I am stire Mr Girling lias treated you and done you well," Mr Healy continued, to the accompaniment of further applause. "The only thing, as I said throughout my campaign, is that he was in tliei wrong party, and I wais sorry to ccm© out against one of my greatest friends in Marlborough and fight— but only politioally. (Applause). You have conferred on me a. rnajoritv to> say 1 did the right thing. (Clicers). I trust you' will never fotget Mr Girling ns vrour representative and an honorable and faithful one. (Applause). "To-day tbe poopie of New Zealand have expressed exaetly what I said from tlie piatform," Mr Ilealy avened. "I must sineerejy thank you ladies. an d gen tlemen who . sui>ported mei and worked for- me to put me iii my present positidfi. I hand whatever houcr is in th© position down to you who supported me. I was not looking for the position for honor for inyself ; and 1 trust, during my terrn , that you will never regret what you have done for me to-day. (Hear, , hear ! and applause). I must aIso> congratulate all my Qtpponents on th© way they haive taken their defeat and on the manner in which they fought for Mr Girling: in an eiuieavor to sceure his return. It has been a very, very fine eontest indeed. (Applauise). , I have no regret and I den't think Mr Girling has either." Mr Girling: None at all! "As regards the eontest," Mr

Healy coucluded, "from end to end we have fought fairly and squaroly, and havei been able to sliake hands v. he never we have met— (applause) — and T iiopie we will be able to coutinue to do so. I am proud to have won your eonfidonce, but thongh I am elected to Parliament I will still be 'old Ted' wlienever you meet me 1" (Prolongcd applause). Cbeei's for Mr Girling were loudly given "on the eall • of Mr Healy before tbe oandidates left the piatform to the aecompa n iment of a general demonstration of enthusiasm.