The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, December 9, 1911. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1080, 9 December 1911, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, December 9, 1911. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The results of the general election give the Rerorm Party a majority on the first ballot, but still leaves the people in suspense as to the final strength ot each Party until the second ballot. The Reform Patty have a lead of three, the strength of the parties being: Reform ... 25 Government ... 22 The result of the first ballot in 190 S was: Government ... 39 Reform ... 16 Independent ... 2 East election the Prime Minister had a majority of 2183 over his nearest opponent, which at this election has been reduced to 61S. The Minister for Native Affairs, Sir James Carroll, was elected unopposed ; Sir John Findlay was defeated in the first ballot at Parnell and will have to fight an Independent Liberal who, it is said, has the support of the Opposition in the second ballot ; Mr Millar Minister for Railways, has to go to the second ballot with Bedford, Oppositionist; another minister, the Hon. Buddo, is confronted with a big task at Kaiapoi where he was defeated on the first ballot by a substantial majority by the Oppositionist candidate ; the Hon. T. McKenzie managed to win his seat the first time of asking in a new constituency when he defeated Mr Dive, Opposition member for Fgmont. This accounts for the Ministry, Mr Massey’s constituency sent him back with a large majority as did the constituents ot his first lieutenant. Mr Allen. All the other prominent Oppositionists have been elected on the first ballot. Thirty seats have yet to be decided by the second ballot, and of these the Government should secure about half, Independaut and Labour eight and the Opposition the balance. Defeated Labour, in many of the electorates, will throw in their lot with the Opposition against the Government candidates in the second ballot, and vice versa, and taking this into consideration we venture to predict that the final result will be as stated above.

The Palmerston result, while not uuexpected, gave Mr jßulck a

greater majority over ex-Minister McNab than even his warmest supporters anticipated. It cannot be denied that Mr McNab is a more able politician than the successful candidate, but the electors were disappointed that the latter gentleman should have allowed his unswerving loyalty to overlap his better judgment on certain matters which demanded outspoken criticism. That such criticism may have prejudiced his preferment if elected, may be true, but it cost him his seat.

Mr Field’s return for Otaki at the head of the poll in the first ballot was not unexpected, but it was not anticipated that Mr Robertson, the Labour candidate, would poll sufficient votes to defeat either Messrs Brown or Moucktou. But the unexpected happened, and the final will be fought between Government and Labour. The combined Oppositionist vote was 1,145, Labour 1,269, and Government 1,721. If the Oppositionist vote is cast for Labour in the final then the Government candidate will go down and out- But we are of opinion that a large proportion of the Moncktonite quota will be cast for Field, for the reason that this candidate stands on the same platform as Mr Massey on the allimportant land question. Mr Field voted against the Government on a no-confidence motion on this question during the last Parliament and it is urged that he is in closer touch with the views of the Reform Party than is Mr Robertson. Against this is the fact that Labour and Opposition are aggressively sympathetic and will render mutual assistance to fire out the present administration, but we cannot guage the extent of such feeling in this electorate. Those people to whom the licensing question looms all-important, will prefer to cast their votes in favour of Robertson because he has strenuously advocated one vote one value, and would be prepared to accept a compromise which would reduce the three-fifths handicap, whereas Mr Field will not concede any reduction. We do not say that this section is very large, but it exists, and will count against Mr Field’s chances of success. On the laud question, the two candidates hold views as opposite as the poles. Finally, Mr Robertson is out to put a nail in the coffin of the present administration, and Mr Field stands for its continuance.

Thu sectarian bogey obtrudes itself at election times, and a rumour has been circulated in order to prejudice Mr Field in the eyes of certain people to the effect that he is a Catholic. Unfortunately or otherwise for Mr Field, he is what a certain old lady called an “ Ksculopiau”—what she meant was, of course, Kpiscopalean, commonly known as Anglican.

Txiii remarkable feature of the licensing returns is the tremendous majority polled in favour of National Prohibition. The figures were:

For Prohibition ... c45.n0 Against ... ... 193,696 These totals which give a majority of 51,414 in favour of National Prohibition show a deficiency of 18,173 in the number of votes required to carry prohibition by the iniquitous three-fifths. The local option returns show very little change, All the No-License electorates remain as they were and no new territory is added. In this electorate there was a majority for continuance. A movement will now be made to endeavour to settle this great question by bringing a Bare Majority Bill before Parliament. The New Zealand Alliance have communicated with all electoral bodies where second ballots are to be held, asking voters to support candidates who favour this democratic principle.