THE GENERAL ELECTIONS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 279, 19 November 1908, Page 2

THE GENERAL ELECTIONS

CUIUSTCHURCH EAST. By Telegraph.-Press Association. Christchurch, Last Night. Owing to a soeond return from the Foresters' Hall not having been counted in the Christchurch East voting, Mr. T. H. Davey's majority is materially increased. The missing tigures wers— Uoxhall 40, Cooke 72, Davcy 31)7, McCombs 153. This makes the. totals for the seat—lioxhall 505, Cook 570. Darey * :iS7:i, McCombs 2UU4.

HAWICK'S HAY. ui Nnpior, Last Night. The Jlawke's Hay linal results aro as follows:—Sir William Hussell IUSO, Dillon l, r >is, Simson 1072, Jull 740, Claphum 053, Thompson 150. OROUA. Feilding, Last Night. In the Oroua election 31 absent voters' papers were opened and reduce Mr. Uuthries' absolute majority to 10. Thirty-nine papers have still to com;. A second ballot is possible but very unlikely.

HON. GEO. FOWLDS ON THE SITUATION.

THE REASON FOR HON. McNAU'S DEFEAT.

Auckland, Last Night. Hon. Geo. Fowlds declared in an interview this afternoon that the Opposition had gained absolutely nothing, and that with the exception of the Hon.

K. McNab's defeat the Government had every reason to feel lextreniely w-iU satisfied with the result of the election. "It is," lie said, "ridiculous to suggest that there Is any indication of a freehold victory, because the throe Government supporters who have been defeated are all staunch freeholders. The true significance of Hon. McNab's defeat lies in the strength of the hostility towards the Government which will, be found all over Southland because of its action in placing the sum of £6OOO upon the Estimates as compensation to Meikle." MR. MASSKY'S ALLEGATIONS. "MISLEADING AND SCURRILOUS LITERATURE." Auckland, Last Night. Mr. Massey stated he could not coil' gratulatc tho Government on their mathods of electioneering. This had been the dirtiest election of which he had had experience, and in saying this he was thinking more particularly of the scurrilous literature scattered broadcast over the country. "I have noticed, too," he said, "that Government candidates in many instances wero not ashamed to state in perfectly plain terms that if elected they would be able to obtain more money by way of Parliamentary grants than could possibly be obtained by Oppositionists, and Ministers appeared to encourage this sort of thing rather than otherwise. Pm not sure that this practice on the part of candidates does not come within the scoj* of the Corrupt Practices Act." STRATFORD. , Tho totals of Mr. Symes' and Mr. King's polling in connection with the Stratford contest were (thanks to tb» ivagaries of the lynotype (somewhat mixed in yesterday's issue. Mr. Synws polled 1058, and Mr. King 683, whilst Mr. Hine's total was 2421. TAUMARUNUI.-

Tho complete returns give Mr. Jennings a majority of 1942 votes.

Mr Okey has received the following telegram from Mr Massey (Leader of the Opposition):—" Hearty congratulations, Taranaki has covered itself with glory." m *M Messrs. Okey, Dive, Hine, Wilkinson, ..Byrnes and Wake return thanks to thl .electors for the support accorded them .in the several electorates. THE PREMIER'S VIEWS. THE DAIRY REGULATIONS. Speaking at Wellington on Wednesday night, Sir Joseph said the re- . suit, so far, was exceedingly satisfactory, but ho could not do other than re""grct the fact that o;ie of his colleagues in the Ministry, an able man, and one who had done his duty fearlessly—the Minister for Lands—had fallen in the fight. He was, however, confident that 1 the reverse was but temporary, and that ' the future would find Mr. McNab pliy- ' in'g a not unimportant part in the his- ' tory and development of the country. (Applause). Ho was equally confident that Mr. McNab would Bhow those characteristics of his which they all admired in accepting the decision of th> people iu the way he should do, realising that in all constituencies the result was controlled by the major. The ma- ' jority in all districts would, at this election, have their representative returned. (Applause). This was the first general election which it had been 1 his privilege to fight as leader of the . party, and, under all the circumstances, the results must be regarded by himself , and his colleagues as exceedingly satisfactory, although they had lost a few of their men. He would not go into thi causes of those losses, but some of them . were woll-known. He referred especially to the use which had been made politically of the dairy regulations. When .this matter was looked at impartially bye-and-by, it would be seen that the Government was as anxious as it had always been to do what was best for the farmers and all other classes. (An--1 plausc).