GENERAL ELECTION

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2963, 17 November 1925, Page 2

GENERAL ELECTION

NOTHING FURTHER FROM LYTTELTON.

No additional particulars have so far come to hand regarding the position at Lyttelton, where Mr. J. M’Combs (Labour) is leading by one vote from Mr. M. E. Lyons (Reform), with six absentee votes to come.

An interesting situation has arisen in collection with the Westland election. A message from Greymouth states that (lie official scrutity was completed at 4 o’clock on Sunday morning. Mr. J. O’Brien (Labour) and Mr. T. E. Y. Seddon (Nationalist) have each 4177 votes, and there are three absentee votes to come. There were 330 absentee and seamen’s votes to account for in this electorate.

The closeness of the Lyttelton contest, recalls the exciting contest of 1893, when the late Hon. W. Rolleston was defeated by the Hon. G. W. Russell, for Riecarton, by one vote (says the “Sun”’). On another occasion the late Mr. J. C. Wilton defeated Mr. J. Ivess for Wakanui by two votes, and this contest formed the basis of an election petition, Mr. Wason being unseated. Mr. Wason was later a member of the British House of Commons of an Orkney Islands constituency. Commenting on the position at Lyttelton, Mr. M’Combs stated on Saturday that the election would not now be in doubt were it not that a large number of seamen who had taken the trouble to be enrolled and had applied for electors’ rights had not' been able to record their votes. Other seamen who voted in the electorate on election day had had their votes disallowed because there was no evidence that they produced their electors’ rights. Under these circumstances he thought he was fairly entitled to win. What was wanted was an alteration of the law. He agreed with the scrutineers that the returning officer had been exceedingly careful, and had endeavoured to be scrupulously fair. Mr. M’Combs congratulated his oppenent on “having secured the support of one or two leading Prohibitionists, while at the same time securing the whole of the support of the Trade.” “In conclusion,” said Mr. M’Combs, “let me say that, in regard to the Lyttelton fight, the increase in the. Reform Party’s vote is due entirely to superior organisation and a lavish expenditure of money. I made the mistake of relying wholly on my years of work in the interests of the mass of the people, and on the work I had done for the electorate. Next election the Reform Party will have to face an organisation as complete as their own, and the result will never be in doubt. The records show that on this occasion a large number of workers did not vote.” THAMES. Rhodes . . .. 5112 Ross .. . . 409 Willy . . . . 1805 Informal . . . . 94 .Majority for Rhodes 3307 ANOTHER COMPLICATION. Hokitika, November 16. The Returning Officer at Westport advised the Returning Officer at Hokitika at 3 p.m. that, he had six absentee voting papers which he believes belong to Westland. No further progress will be made till these papers arrive at Hokitika.