SEAT RETAINED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 February 1943, Page 3

SEAT RETAINED

THE CHRISTCHURCH EAST BY-ELECTION GOVERNMENT MAJORITY MUCH REDUCED. DEMOCRATIC LABOUR IN SECOND PLACE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The Christchurch East by-election, which was held on Saturday, resulted in the return of the Labour Party’s candidate, Miss Mabel Howard, who had a majority of 1809. Second place was filled by the Democratic Labour candidate, Mr H. E. Herring. The by-election was to fill the vacancy in the House of Representatives caused by the death of the Hon H. T. Armstrong. Details of the voting are as follow: Miss Mabel Howard (Labour) 4280 Mr H. E. Herring (Democratic Labour) 2471 Mr M. E. Lyons (National) 2201 Mr L. A. Efford (“Peace” candidate) ..... 105 Mr O. J. E. McKee (Independent Socialist) 19 Majority for Miss Howard .... 1809 The number of votes cast was 9076 out of an effective roll of 14,835. At the 1938 general election there were two candidates, Mr Armstrong (Labour) and Mr Armour (National). Mr Armstrong, who had a majority of 7179 votes, polled 10,561 votes and Mr Armour 3382. With the return of Miss Howard there will be four women in the House of Representatives, the other three being Mrs Stewart (Labour, Wellington West), Mrs Dreaver (Labour, Waitemata) and Mrs Grigg (National, MidCanterbury). PREMIER SATISFIED. “The result is very satisfactory,” said the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, when invited last evening to comment on the Christchurch East by-election. “Miss Howard will make an excellent member of Parliament, and her experience in industrial, social and patriotic work will be very useful in the House of Representatives. She won the admiration of everyone for the able manner in which she conducted her campaign. Such an endorsement of the Government’s policy, both war and domestic, is very satisfactory.” MR LEE’S ANTICIPATIONS. A Press Association telegram from Christchurch says that, commenting on the result, Mr J. A. Lee said the committee responsible for the Democratic Labour campaign had more cause for congratulation than any of the other party committees. “The first Democratic Labour venture resulted in the loss of our deposit. This time our party polled splendidly, if not successfully. A further transfer of 900 votes from Labour to Democratic Labour on the present figures would have won the seat. This transfer will occur rapidly everywhere.” Mr Lee claimed that' his party had gained at least 2471 votes, while Labour had lost about 6000 and the Nationalists about 1000. If that .process continued for a further few months, he added, it would have remarkable results on New Zealand’s political future. “Our party has shattered the myth of the monolithic structure of Labour’s vote,” said Mr Lee. “Our parly will be reorganised and will go forward at once. The Labour Party as constituted is doomed. It is obvious thatpreferential voting would probably have defeated Labour in one of its strongest seats and I look to the future with a confidence that must be lacking in Labour’s ranks.”

OPPOSITION LEADER’S COMMENT. “The outstanding feature of the Christchurch East by-election is the landslide of public opinion against the Government,” said Mr Holland, Leader of the Opposition, in an interview. “To record only 41 per cent of its 1938 vote and to have the third largest majority in New Zealand of over 7000 votes converted into an actual minority of 500 is something to cause the Prime Minister furiously to think.” ’ “In a desperate effort to retrieve its fast-waning popularity the Labour Party threw its heaviest artillery and everything right down to its lightest pompoms into the campaign, with the result of a fall of 6000 in the Labour vote, which speaks for itself. In 1938 Labour recorded 76 per cent of the total votes cast, but on Saturday it received less than 50 per cent. Mr Fraser had something to say during his participation in the campaign about the by-election being the real test, and the public will now await with much interest Mr Fraser’s announcement as to what he proposes to do in view of the landslide vote recorded. “Notwithstanding that a third candidate was in the field to divide the non-Government vote, on Saturday the National Party actually scored a slightly higher percentage of the total votes cast than it did in 1938, and this is in one of the very strongest Labour constituencies in New Zealand. The result closely follows the drift in public opinion recorded in the Waipawa, Bay of Plenty, Waitemata and Christchurch South by-elections, in which the Government ran official candidates.” SPLIT LABOUR VOTE. “I must say that I am not surprised at the result,” said Miss Howard in a radio broadcast. “I expected it, though a section of the people did try to drive a wedge into the solid Labour vote.” She thanked Mr Lyons and Mr Efford for having fought such a clean fight. ’ “I knew we were up against a tremendous hurdle when I entered this contest,” Mr Lyons said. “I thank those who voted for me, and I think their number will be increased somewhat when the final votes are counted.” Mr Herring said: “I am very disappointed at the result. I did hope there would be a bigger poll. I remember Waitemata. Though I am personally disappointed, this vote is a vast improvement on Waitemata, where our candidate lost his deposit.” Addressing a crowd of about 2500 outside the returning officer’s rooms in Worcester Street, Miss Howard said: “We told you last night what the result would be. Now I want to warn you once again against the danger of future splits within the Labour Party.” She congratulated Messrs Lyons and Efford. A voice: What about Herring? “No,” said Miss Howard decidedly. “I told you last night about Mr Herring.” (Cheers and boos). Mr Lyons, who met with a mixed reception, said: “The writing is on the wall for the Government. The Labour majority of 7000 was reduced to a

minority of 500 tonight.” Uproar greeted this statement. AN ALLEGED BREACH. Though a breach of the Electoral Act by the Labour Party was alleged on Saturday, no official protests have been made and it is understood that no other action is likely. Complaints were made that memorandum cards, on which electors could record their roll number and bearing the photograph of Miss Howard, had been issued, and that these might influence voting, constituting a breach of the Electoral Act. The returning officer, Mr C. J. McCree, said any decision about possible proceedings rested with the police. He had given a warning that publication and distribution of the cards bearing the photograph might constitute an infringement. Mr McCree said the Labour Party organiser, Mr Osborne, M.P., had told him that this practice was common and other Labour Party officials had stated that legal opinions obtained in Wellington contained no objection to this practice, which they said had been employed in two previous elections.