RETAINED BY LABOUR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 July 1941, Page 4

RETAINED BY LABOUR

THE WAITEMATA SEAT MRS DREAVER RETURNED. SMALL POLL & REDUCED MAJORITY. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, July 20. By a majority of 420 votes on the provisional count, Mrs M. M. Dreaver held the Waitemata seat for the Government in the 'by-election on Saturday caused by. the death in action in Crete of the sitting member, Captain W. J. Lyon. The lack of interest shown throughout the campaign by the electorate was borne out in the polling, in which only .9300 votes were cast, compared with 13,000 in the 1938 general election. Three of the five candidates will probably forfeit their deposits. The figures after the provisional count were: — Mrs M. M. Dreaver (Govern - i ment) 4089 W. B. Darlow (Independent) 3669 N. V. Douglas (Democratic Labour) 908 R. P. Gardner (Independent) 398 H. T. Head (Pan New Zealand) 74 There are 176 seamen’s absentee and postal votes yet to be counted, but they will not affect the result. Particulars of the informal voting were not available at the weekend, but the percentage is stated to have been comparatively low. An analysis of the voting at the 36 booths showed that in the larger centres of population Mrs Dreaver headed the polling, being successful at Belmont, Birkenhead and at one of the three Takapuna booths. Mr Darlow led at Bayswater, Helensville, Milford, and in two of the Takapuna booths. Most of the north coast voted largely in favour of the Government candidate. The country areas favoured Mr Darlow almost in a body. The remaining three candidates, Messrs Douglas, Gardner and Head, will probably forfeit their deposits of £lO through attaining less than onequarter the number of votes cast for the successful candidate. A scrutiny of the rolls will begin tomorrow and it is expected that the' official count will be completed at the end of the week. Under the provisions of the Electoral (Members of Forces) Regulations gazetted last year and utilised for the second time at the Waitemata by-elec-tion, all New Zealand soldiers in the Dominion or overseas with residential qualifications in the electorate, will be able to record their votes. After the poll has been held the returning officers will forward the results to the chief electoral officer in New Zealand by cablegram or other means. The soldiers’ votes under the new regulations were first cast in the Waipawa by-elec-tion, 108 votes being recorded. The returning officer for Waitemata, Mr W. A. Wilson, could give no indication of the total number of soldiers eligible to vote in the election. The voting at the 1938 general election was as follows: — Lyon (Labour) 7806 Close (Nationalist) 5545 Majority for Lyon 2261 MR NASH GRATIFIED ENDORSEMENT OF POLICY CLAIMED, (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. “The result of the Waitemata election is an endorsement of the policy of the Government,’’ said the ActingPrime Minister, Mr Nash, last night. “Parliament will be enriched by the presence of another woman member.” Mrs Dreaver had had a long and valuable experience in public life, Mr Nash said. She undertook the difficulties of the working section of the community, and the needs of all the people. Her ability to express her views was far above normal, and would enable her to make valuable contributions to debates in the House of Representatives, particularly when subjects, relating to the home, child life and other topics concerning motherhood and women were being discussed. It would be a pleasure to welcome her to Parliament. TWO WOMEN MEMBERS. By the election of Mrs M. M. Dreaver to represent Waitemata, the House of Representatives has, for the first time 'in its history, two women members. The late Mrs Elizabeth McCombs was the first, and at the last general election the Wellington West seat was won for Labour by Mrs C. C. S. Stewart. It is thought likely that the two women members, Mrs Stewart and Mrs Dreaver. will share a double bench in the House. At present Mrs Stewart has a single seat.