EDEN BY-ELECTION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 0234, 17 April 1926, Page 2

EDEN BY-ELECTION.

WON BY LABOUR. NOMINEE.

Auckland, April 15

Intense interest was displayed in the result of the Eden by-election, crowds gathering to await the posting of the results. Miss E. Melville, Independent Government candidate, succeeded in depriving Sir James Gunson, the Government candidate, of a large number of votes that would otherwise have gone to him. Early returns mostly favoured Mr. Mason, Labour representative, and this also was to be expected, as these booths were mostly in the districts where Labour lias a large following. From the crowd’s point of view the contest was full of interest, first Ah'. Mason and then Sir James Gunson taking the lead as the progress returns came in. Towards the close Mr Mason gradually forged ahead, until his position was unassailable. The voting was as follows: — 11. G. R. Mason (Lab.) 4473 Sir James Gunson (Reform) 4032 Miss Melville (In. Reform) 2250 Two hundred and eighty-four absentee votes yet to come cannot affect the result. The voting for (he general election in November was as follows: — Sir James Parr (Govt.) 7158 11. G. R. Mason (Lab.) 4822 E. W. Grigg (Nat.) 118 Majority for Parr 2376 PRIME MINISTER’S STATE-, MENT. Wellington, April 15. The following statement concerning the result of the by-election was issued by the Prime Minister (Right lion. 'J. G. Coates) last night: —

“The result of the Eden by-elec-tion affords another example of the evil effect of vote-splitting. The voting shows definitely a majority of over 1600 votes for the Government. Labour, therefore, by a large minority vote, secures the seat. The responsibility for this result must be borne by those whose actions have enabled a safe Reform seat to be handed over to the Labour Party. I sincerely hope that the experience of to-day will prove an object lesson for the future, and demonstrate that unless loyalty and whole-hearted support are forthcoming when the occasion calls for it, the result must inevitably be failure.” THE N>AY MEMBER, Henry Greathead Rex Mason has been successful in reaching Parliament in his fourth electoral contest. He first stood as a Labour candidate for Manukau in 1919. He was born in Wellington in 1885, and was educated at the Clyde Guay School and Wellington College and at Victoria University College. At the university he gained the degrees of M.A. and L.L.B. (with honours in mathematics). Mr. Mason began the practice of law, on bis own account, at Pukckolie in 1911, but more recently he has been in practice in Auckland.