Stan's Our Man!

We can refer to "Stan Whitehead, M.P." for at least another three years. However, for his next term in Parliament, Stan's party is in the box seat.

Let's hope they keep to electioneering promises.

The Nelson election scene did not contain the suspense or uncertainty of other electorates.

A couple of days before the election, Stan Whitehead admitted to being confident. And he predicted his Labour mate in the Tasman electorate, Bill Rowling, would win "by at least a thousand votes." How right you were Stan.

Both the local M.P.'s are hardened campaigners and, now that they are members of the Government, the top of the South Island should benefit.

National's hopes, Ian McWhannell, in Nelson, and Gerald Hunt, Tasman, toiled well and received a fair amount of support. But, let's face it: Nelson is bound by tradition and Stan Whitehead is virtually an institution. Bill Rowling, the M.P. for the former Buller electorate, spared no pains in his bid for votes and his decision to campaign in a camp-o- van bore results.

The splinter parties were not really in it and the leader of the New Democrats, John O'Brien, would not have impressed many with his strong attacks on Stan Whitehead

Congratulations to Messrs Whitehead and Rowling. And condolences to the other candidates. You didn't really make a race of it, well, not a cliffhanger, but you made the whole thing more interesting. And, there's always 1975.

How They Polled

Nelson
S. A. Whitehead (L)	7741
I. D. McWhannell (N)	5915
A. H. Mahan (SC)	679
A. M. Stanton (V)	648
J. B. O'Brien (ND)	460
Majority	1826
Tasman
W. E. Rowling (L)	7552
G. H. Hunt (N)	5760
J. R. Brinsdon (SC)	812
G. A. Eggers (ND)	170
Majority	1792