THE ELECTIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 December 1919, Page 5

THE ELECTIONS.

SIR JOSEPH WARD. . . NOT RE-ENTERING PARLIAMENT. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Napier, Dec. 20. Mr. J. Vigof Brown in a letter, offered to resign the Napier seat if Sir Joseph Ward would contest the seat. Sir Joseph replied to the effect tty&t he does not intend to re-enter the political arena. RANGITIKEI FIGURES. Marton, Dec. 20. Rangitikei final figures are:—Glenn 2874, Brady 2138, Melirum 1534. Glenn's majority is 536. THE WAITOMO CONTEST. Mr. W. T. Jennings, M.P. for Waitomo, who returned to New Plymouth by the mail train on Saturday night, states that so far as weather conditions were concerned, the election contest was the best lie has experienced since 1902, . and this enabled a lot of places to be visited. Since speaking at Waitara on November 20, 62 meetings were addressi ed at sawmills, bush camps, schools, and i halls. • The travelling was mostly by : motor, one day only being passed on i horseback. The back country, especially the West Taupo portion of the electorate, was looking well, and the pumaceous lands are turning out surprisingly well, notwithstanding the dry weather. The small voting places in the electorate showed a majority, in his favor, the figures being: Elliot, 21; Jennings, 450; Wilson, 320. These booths included the Oliura and Tangitu districts. The voting at the three largest poll in'; booths, Waitara, Otorohanga, and Te Kuiti showed: Elliot, 185; Jwr nings, 1-094; Wilson, 082. THE P.P.A.'S INFLUENCE. Opinion was considerably divided at various stages of the election struggle just ended as to the influence likely to bo exercised by the activities of the Protestant Political Association (says the Wellington Dominion). The organiser of the Association, in an interview given to a southern contemporary, expresses great satisfaction over the outcome of the elections, and though he does not in as many words say so, he by inference claims the -■ result as a victory for Protestantism. ) We should be sorry to think that the ' country was divided politically on sectar- • ian lines. That the P.P.A. exercised con- ' siderablo influence in some electorates ■ seems clear enough. In Bruce, for in- ' stance, Sir James Allen had the hardest tight of his political career owing, it is said, in a large measure to the activities of the P.P.A., while Sir Joseph Ward's defeat in Awarua is in some quarters attributed to the same cause. On the other hand, a notable example of aft unexpectedly substantial win for a candidate supposedly hard pressed on account of his association with the P.P.A. svas iif the Ashburton scat, where Mi| Nosworthy won very handsomely. How far the P.P.A. actually influenced these results can only be guessed at, but it is ; noteworthy that in the electorates 11 named the organisation was specially acJ tive, while a large proportion of the can- | didates it favored in other electorates y were elected. The obvious weakness of the " P.P.A. is its occasional lapses into exp treme sectarian bitterness, which antaga onises many who might agree with its a avowed objects. 1 A WISE COUNSELLOR. { "BE YE STRONG THEREFORE." Telegrams of congratulation continue s to pour in to the Prime Minister, In all i the many hundreds of messages that Mr. s Massey haß received have been some few • from overseas, including one from the 1 Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. Hughes. Many of the messages have been amusing, but nobody has sent an unpleasant one. This is one of the cablegrams that 1 carac:—"Congratulations; Second Chronicles, chapter .15, verse i." The reference was to this verse: "Be ye strong therefore, and let not, your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded," CLASSIFICATION OF CANDIDATES. Two hundred and twelve candidates wooed the suffrages of the electors for the 76 European seats, and they represented a variety of political opinions, a being classified as follows: 1 Reform flfl 9 Liberal .. 57 Labor ; 54 l Independent ];i 1 Independent Reform 1 > Independent Liberal 11 ■ Independent Labor ........ 5 | Moderate Labor 4 1 Liberal Labor 3 Not stated 3