Labour Expected To Win Hutt Seat

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 848, 17 December 1929, Page 1

Labour Expected To Win Hutt Seat

BIG GUNS TAKE PART PROSPECTS EXAMINED (From Our Resident Reporter) WELLINGTON, Today. With a flurry of effort by all parties, the Hutt by-election has entered upon its final phase. Four Ministers, the Hons. G. W. Forbes, H. Atmore, W. A. Veitch and J. G. Cobbe have been active in the electorate, the Hon. E. A. Ransom was also interested until his indisposition, two ex-Ministers, Messrs. Coates and Downie Stewart, are co-operating with the Reform candidate, Mr. Harold Johnston, and six Labour members from outside Wellington, including Messrs. Holland and Savage, the party’s leader and deputy-leader, besides the four local Labour members, are campaigning, while the Prime Minister is directing the Ministerial campaign from his room. Despite the organisation work of all parties it is clear that no one knows how the electorate is going to vote. It is thought that the Labour candidate, Mr. Walter Nash, Labour’s national secretary, has lost the strong position which he held during the General Election when he polled almost 6,000 votes, and was beaten by 1,300. Also, it is recognised that as Reform has contested the seat only twice in the last decade, the Reform vote is an unknown quantity. There are estimated to be 1,600 votes in Hutt and of these less than one-third will be cast in the solid better-class residential quarters of the electorate. It Is recognised that in Petone, with its 9,000 population, Mr. Nash has a formidable rival in Mr. James Kerr, the United candidate, who is of the old Liberal-Labour type. But it was at Lower Hutt and Eastbourne (both now expected to swing to Reform) that Mr. Wilford gained 1,200 and his 1,300 majority. Mr. Wilford never did better than almost hold Petone against the Labour forces. Mr. Kerr expects to win Petone and to hold the Hutt against both candidates. If Mr. Kerr does this, he will win, hut present Indications are that there will be a poll of not more than 12,000, with Mr. Nash scoring about 5,000 of these votes. It Is expected that Mr. Kerr’s total will be about 4,000, and Mr. Jonnston’s 3,000.