BAY OF ISLANDS SEAT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1409, 10 June 1915, Page 3

BAY OF ISLANDS SEAT.

WON BY GOVERNMENT CANDIDATE. The result of the polling in the Bay of Islands by-election was as under:— W. Stewart (R.) ... 3.217 G. Meiules (O.) ... 2,31 b Majority for Stewart 901 At the general elections in December three candidates stood lor the seat, and the voting was as under : V. H. Reed (R.) ... 2,328 P. Buck (O.) ... 2,220 G. Wilkinson (R.) ... 1,576 Majority for Reed ... 108 The importance of the contest to the Dominion was that on the result of it might have depended the fate of tbe Government. An adverse decision would not inevitably have sealed the fate of the Ministry, however. There would still have been the Taumarunui election on Tuesday next, and even if they had been defeated in both elections they would have had a strength of 40 in a House of 80 members. Now the strength of parties is ; Government 4 1 Combined opponents ... 38 One seat —Taumarunui —is still at issue. Polling in the by-elec-tion there will take place next Tuesday. If the Reform nominee (Mr C. K. Wilson) wins, the Government strength will be 42, which will give them a majority of three after the Speaker is appointed. If Mr Wilson does not win they will still have a majority of one after the Speaker is in the Chair, SIR J. G. WARD ON THE RESULT. Auckland, June 8. Sir Joseph Ward arrived here to night from Whangarei and the Bay of Islands. Referring to tbe result of the by-election, he said he accepted the verdict ot the electors philosophically. His party had fought a hard, fair fight, and Mr Menzies had done the best he could in a huge electorate iu the limited time at his disposal. Sir Joseph Ward declined to make any statement on the political situation until after the Taumarunui byelection had been decided.