THE WELLINGTON BYELECTION.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 March 1918, Page 4

THE WELLINGTON BYELECTION.

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT CANDI- - ELECTED. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The result of the Wellington Norte by-election is ns follows: J. P. Luke (National Government ollicial) 208(5 ]I. E. Holland (Labor Socialist) 2540 A. de li. Brandon (National Government supporter) Slfl A. .1. N. J'olson (Independent Liberal I 720 Informal 4(1 Total votes cast 7128 At the general election in 1914, the figures were: A. L. Herdman (Reform), 4322; W. H. Tumbull (Liberal), 1779j •H. E. Holland (Social Democrat), 1C37. NOTES ON THE RESULT. By Telegraph.—Special Correspondent. Wellington, Last Night. While the victory of Mr. Luke was generally expected by people who were ' in a position to judge the temper of the electorate, there was a certain amount of anxiety in Government, circles until the numbers went, up. Brandon and P6l- - represented factors that could not be gauged confidently, and there was the possibility that they would get enough votes to let (he Labor candidate win the seat. If there had been a straight-out contest between Luke and Holland, the result could never have been in doubt. Six or seven thousand people watched the returns' posted to-night, and, after the linul figures had been displayed, the disappointed Labor sympathisers' refused to give Mr. Luke a hearing. They hooted as long as he was in sight, and only those people immediately around him heard his brief speech of thanks. Mr. Holland was given a fairly quiet hearing. He said that Labor alone had fought a clean fight; that- the decline of the Government majority was a triumph for his party, and that in the days to come Labor would havo its own daily press and a Government of its own choosing. Mr. Holland has said a good deal in the course of the campaign about "mudslinging'' and unfair fighting, but it does not appear that he has any serious grounds for complaint on this score. The sole charge of a personal nature brought against him'was that he did not take up a loyal attitude in connection with the war. Ho could have countered that charge at any time by expressing loyalty and a desire to assist in winning the war. but his speeches were always silent on the point. Most of the personalities thai were exchanged in the course of the campaign had their origin in the quarrel between the Lukd and Brandon factions within the Reform party. It would be easy to' misconstrue the returns of to-day's polling. The contest was not fought wholly on the'"win the war" issue, and votes cast for the Labor candidate are not all votes cast against conscription ur in favor of the anti-war section thr.t Holland represents. Luke and the leaders of the National Government asked for a vote on the "win the war" issue, but Brandon and Poison assured the electors at every opportunity that they also stood for winnm;* the war, while Holland studiously and cleverly kept the attention of his audiences on matters purely domestic, notably the cost of living and the hardship created by the continued call for recruits. It cannot, therefore, be claimed that the votes cast for him were all votes cast in support of opinions that he kept in the background to the best of his ability,