POLITICAL SITUATION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3874, 22 November 1928, Page 3

POLITICAL SITUATION.

ALTERATION IN PARTY STRENGTH. GOVERNMENT LOSE WELLINGTON NORTH. UNI-TEDS GAIN DUNEDIN SOUTH. As a result of the turn the official count caused the political situation to take yesterday, the Government is now only one seat ahead of the United Party, with the La-bour-Socialist group a distant third. While retaining other doubtful seats such as Mid-Canterbury and Franklin, the Reformers lost Wellington North to Labour, and the Uniteds, in addition to holding Mataura and Kaiapoi, captured Dunedin South from the Labourites. The official count has been completed in nearly fifty electorates. With still two or three “interesting” seats to be decided, the state of the parties at present is: — Reform 28 United 27 Labour 19 Independents 5 Gountrv Party 1 WELLINGTON NORTH. The total votes polled amounted to 11,435. The completed returns, as stated, gave Mr. Chapman a majority of 46, the details being:—' Chapman 5609 Luke 5563 Informal 263 AUCKLAND CENTRAL. W. E. Parry (L) 5765 W*. C. Hewitt (U) 2741 F. J. Lysnar (R) 822 J. Joiner (I) 281 Informal 299 Majority for Parry 3024 AUCKLAND SUBURBS. H. G. R. Mason (L) 4357 Sir James Gunson (R) 3259 E. R, Allen (U) 2191 Majority for Mason 1098 BULLER, H. E. Holland (L) 5988 D. M. Robertson (R) 2371 Informal 155 Majority for Holland 3617 DUNEDIN WEST. Hon. W. D. Stewart (R) 4600 C. M. Moss (U) 8323 R. Harrison (L) 2480 Informal 113 Majority for Stewart 1277 DUNEDIN CENTRAL. Hon. Sir Charles Statham (I) 6022 J. Robinson (L) 4251 Informal 447 Majority for Statham 1/71 DUNEDIN SOUTH. W. B. Taverner (U) 4462 R. W. Hall (L) 4429 C. Todd (R) 2205 Informal 44 5 Majority for Taverner 33 'FRANKLIN. J. N. Massey (R) 4025 H. 0. Meflsop (C) 3891 Informal 51 Majority for Massey 134 GISBORNE. W. D. Lysnar (1.R.) 3746 D. W. Coleman (L) 3400 W L. Clayton (U) 2635 Informal 58 Majority for Lysnar , 346 HAMILTON. Hon. J. A. Young (R) 4529 S. C. G. Lye (Lib.-Lab.) 3456 F. W. Schramm (L) 2123 Informal 128 Majority for Young 1073 INVERCARGILL. Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Ward (U) 7309 S. M. Maealister (1.R.) 4031 .Informal 88 Majority for Ward 3278 KAIAPOI. R. W. Hawke (U) 3216 J. A. Flesher (R) 3120 Mrs. E. R. McCombs (L) 2980 Informal 87 Majority for Hawke 96 MARSDEN. A. J. Murdoch (U) 3925 W. Jones (R) 3475 W. H. Chetham (L) 1299 A. H. Curtis (I) 108 Informal Majority for Murdoch 450 MATAURA. D. McDougall (U) 4173 Hon. G. J. Anderson (R) 4111 Informal 48 Majority for McDougall 62 MID-CANTERBURY. D. Jones (R) 4137 J. Connolly (U) 4082 C. M. Williams (L) 005 R. W. Wightman (I) 242 Informal 52 Majority for Jones 55 NAPIER, W. E. Barnard (L) 5370 J. Mason (R) 4952 Informal ' Majority for Barnard 418 NELSON. H. Atmore (I) 5603 F. W. O. Smith (R) 3294 Informal 135 Majority for Atmore 2309 OAMARU. J. A. Macpherson (U) 5016 E. P. Lee (R) 4679 Informal ( 83 Majority for Macpherson 337 PARNELL. H. R. Jenkins (U) 5642 J. S. Dickson (R) 4793 J. W. Yarnall (L) 1661 Informal 83 Majority for Jenkins 849

PALMERSTON. J. A. Nash (R) 5558 W. Bromley (L) . 3208 C. A. Loughnan (U) 2484 Informal 296 Majority for Nash 2350 PATEA. 11. G. Dickie (R) 4511 J. D. Hislop (U) 4329 Informal 90 Majority for Dickie 182 RAGLAN. W. L. Martin (L) 4205 W. Seavill (R) „ 3165 W, Brown (1.R.) 216 Informal Majority for Martin 1040 STRATFORD. W. J. Poison (I) 4592 E. Walter (R) 3610 Informal 57 Majority for Poison 982 WELLINGTON CENTRAL. P. Fraser (L) 7353 A. D. Sloane (R) 3895 Mrs. M. Young (1.L.) 843 Informal 261 Majority for Fraser 3458 WELLINGTON SUBURBS. Hon. R. A. Wright (R) 5748 T. Brindle (L) 3764 K. McLennan (U) 3260 Informal • 159 Majority for Wright 1984 , GREY LYNN. iFletcher 5489 .Bartram 5425 , Fitzherbert 684 (Mrs. Paterson 72 Majority for Fletcher 64 AUCKLAND WEST, i Savage 5361 ! Speii's 4020 ! Adeane 2021 Majority for Savage 1341 EDEN. Stallworthy 5943 Potter 3517 Anderson 2241 Burton 200 Majority for Stallworthy 2426 ROSKILL. Munns 5745 Richards 3401 Miss Melville 3345 Majority for Munns 2344 MASTERTON FINAL. ■Sykes 4 267 Thomson 2969 .Roberts 4477 ( Majority for Sykes 1298 OROUA FINAL. /Cobbe 4411 Eliott 8679 Informal 7 ® Majority for Cobbe 732 NEW PLYMOUTH. S. G. Smith (U) 5577 C. E. Bellringer (G) 4110 W. G. Simpson (L) 1293 Majority for Smith 1467 WAIKATO. F. Lye (U) 2978 D. S. Reid (G) 2889 P. Keegan (C.) 1897 Majority for Lye 89 Mr. Lye’s majority has increased from 39. There are still a few declaration absentee votes to come in, ibut the issue cannot be affected. CHRISTCHURCH NORTH. H. Holland (G) 5393 •E. H. Andrews (U) 3601 J. K. Archer (L) 3572 Majority for Holland 1792 THE 1911 SITUATION.

SIR JOSEPH WARD’S VERSION. “The attempt to convey an impression that I was in a similar position in 1911 as head of the Government to what the Reform Government is in now is quite contrary to fact. The positions are not in any way analogous,” said the Leader of the United Party (Sir’ Joseph Ward) in a statement to the Press on Tuesday. “The plain fact is that after the general election in 1911 I had a majority of two over my then opponents| one was absent in England and the other was in the Speaker’s chair. When a motion of want-of-eonfidence was moved by Mr. Massey it was rejected by the casting vote of Mr. Speaker, which still left me in a majority of one—the member absent at Home. The Opposition had declined giving a pair. Quite irrespective of the fact that we were in office on the casting vote of the speaker, and ■without the vote of the absent member of our party being recorded, I was in the position of being able to advise His Excellency the Governor, as representing the majority of the House; and at that crisis the Governor took my advice, without in the least dissenting from it. I had the undoubted right to advise him; otherwise it would have been within his power and his right to, dissent. “The date of convening the reassembling of the House was fixed not by the head of a Government representing a minority, but by the head of the Government representing a majority, although a small one. By the same token, although I had tlie undoubted power, being in a small majority, of making appointments to the Legislative Council or otherwise, the fact remains that I made none; and this was done by my own volition. When I tendered my resignation, I did so entirely on the ground that I would not be in the position as head of the Government of being squeezed, because I considered that the country ought not to be governed by so small a majority.” , Concerning the present position of parties, Sir Joseph Ward said it was quite evident that his opponents had no knowledge whatever of the position of what they termed the Independents, whom they attached to no party. His communications from the whole of those gentlemen showed quite the contrary.