OVERSEAS VOTES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 September 1943, Page 3

OVERSEAS VOTES

SOME ELECTION RESULTS STILL IN DOUBT VERY NARROW MARGIN IN OAMARU. POSITION IN WAIRARAPA AND ELSEWHERE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Small preliminary count returns from isolated voters serving overseas with the armed forces are still arriving by cable, and though they have necessitated amendments to the figures for most of the electorates, none of them have resulted in any material change, even in the doubtful cases where there are relatively few votes separating the two leading candidates. Additional odd returns of this nature can be expected from out-of-the-way places where New Zealanders are stationed, but the number of votes involved is likely to be so small that their influence on the present figures can be regarded as negligible. With absent, postal and seamen’s votes yet to be counted, however, the result is still in doubt in several electorates, and must remain so till the completion of the official count. The closest contest is that in Oamaru, where the National Party candidate, Mr T. R. Beatty, with 4602 votes, has maintained his lead of four votes over the Minister of Health, the Hon. A. H. Nordmeyer. Additional supplementary votes received yesterday from overseas resulted in each candidat rceiving one more vote, so that the previous night’s margin was unchanged. Outstanding votes for Oamaru, however, total 848, and the result must necessarily be uncertain till they are counted. A further improvement occurred yesterday in the position of Mr L. G. Lowry, Labour candidate for Otaki. In a telegram received at Levin by the returning officei’ for the electorate, Mi’ Lowry’s figures for one of the booths were give nas 103, whereas they should have been 163. This extra 60 votes and supplementary service votes from abroad have now brought his majority up to 123. For this electorate there are nearly 1000 outstanding votes. The number of absent, postal and seamen’s votes available for the electorates where the result is in doubt, together with the leading candidate’s maojrity, are as follow:—

o co o o s 0 be ft >» q S ’£ 'O'C o 5 s S uuS § w «<y •5 o <> ft w W «! S>° . w q CJ ft n tn > Eden . 101 664 279 13 Otaki . 123 609 330 2 New Plymouth . . 38 639 369 1 Oamaru 4 440 404 4 Wairarapa . 83 438 82 0 Waitemata . 121 635 253 7 Marlborough ... . 351 402 421 0 Motueka . 229 376 118 2 Nelson . 187 566 365 36 Palmertson N. . . 352 683 386 O'