BAY OF PLENTY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 December 1941, Page 5

BAY OF PLENTY

BY-ELECTION CONTEST

NATIONALIST CANDIDATE RETURNED. SUBSTANTIAL MAJORITY. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, December 14. The contest for the Bay of Plenty seat in the House of Representatives, rendered vacant by the death of the former member, Lieutenant A. G. Hultquist, was held yesterday and resulted in a clear-cut victory for the National candidate, Mr W. Sullivan. The result of the voting was as follows: W. Sullivan (National) 4452 [ C. Mills (Government) 2859 Majority for Sullivan 1593 Shortly after the last result had been received and final figures announced, both candidates spoke from the balcony of the Masonic Hotel. Opotiki, to a big crowd in the street below. The new member, Mr Sullivan, expressed his thanks for the great vote given him. He said the expression of opinion did not apply to the Bay of Plenty only, but was an indication of the feelings of the people of New Zealand. He had fought the campaign lonehanded, while the other candidate had received the assistance of numerous speakers. The vote was an expression of opinion against the Government of the moment and also the Labour Government's policy. The Government would now have to turn round and say: “What’s the reason for this?” Mr Mills congratulated Mr Sullivan.

There are approximately 750 soldiers’ votes yet to be received.

At the previous election the figures were:' Hultquist (Labour) 4964; Sullivan (National) 4798. Majority for Hultquist, 169. Mr Sullivan was born 'in Inglewood, Taranaki, 50 years ago and received his education in that province. Since 1913 he has lived in Whakatane, where he has carried on business as a building contractor. He is also interested in farming. Mr Sullivan has had a long perior of public service, having been mayor of Whakatane for many years, chairman of the Whakatane Harbour Board, president of the Bay of Plenty Winter Show Association, and an executive member of the Whakatane A. and P. Society. He contested the Tauranga seat unsuccessfully in 1931, and was Mr Hultquist’s opponent for the Bay of Plenty seat in 1938.

NO TIME FOR CROWING STATEMENT BY LEADER OF OPPOSITION. VOTE AGAINST PARTY POLITICS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, December 14. “This is no time for crowing over victory, but it is time for carefully taking stock of the position. It needs no words of mine to emphasise the importance and significance of the Bay of Plenty by-election because the figures speak for themselves,” said the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Holland. “The issue at the by-election was clear and distinct. Labour put forward its case to justify continuance of party politics, whereas the National Party strongly advocated sinking political differences in the common cause and the formation of a truly non-party Government for the war’s duration. The Labour nominee was a particularly strong candidate and we had the same candidate as in 1938. The Labour nominee had the advantage of a battery of leading Government speakers, including the Prime Minister and several other Ministers, whereas Mi' Sullivan fought the campaign virtually off his own bat.

“Mr Sullivan’s overwhelming victory is the clearest possible declaration of public opinion that the people want to see party politics dropped and a nonparty government formed and the Prime Minister and his colleagues cannot ignore this most striking evidence of public opinion. “Following as it does on the great-ly-reduced Labour majorities in the Christchurch South, Auckland West and Waitemata by-elections and the quadrupled majority scored by the National Party in the Waipawa by-elec-tion, the result is most significant. The Labour Party was very confident of success and left no stone unturned to ensure the scoring of every vote possible and had it achieved the result it hoped for it would unquestionably have claimed that the vote was an endorsement of its policy and administration. No explanation or excuses can explain away the fact that though there were 1000 fewer voters on the roll than at the .General Election, the National Party scored more votes at booths counted on Saturday night than it did in 1938, whereas the Labour vote dropped by more than 1700. Mr Sullivan, the new member for Bay of Plenty. registered a majority at 66 booths on Saturday, compared with 37 booths in 1938. Mr Fraser and his Ministerial colleagues must sit up and take notice of the by-election result. To ignore it would be to disregard the value of public opinion being expressed. “Mr Sullivan will greatly increase the strength of the Parliamentary Opposition and of Parliament itself. He is a forthright speaker and a man of the widest experience. He has all the qualities to fit him for a wider sphe”e of public service and I am confident he will do very well as a member of Parliament."