Alexander Bustamante, the leader of the Labour Party, has fulfilled his pledge to secure 75 per cent of the seats in the House of Representatives, as election results reveal that Labour candidates won 23 out of the total 32 elected positions. The People's National Party (PNP) gained four seats, narrowly trailing behind the Independents, who secured five. The record voter turnout, with 55.13 per cent of eligible voters casting their ballots, reflects Labour's significant popularity.

PUBLISHED SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1944

Bustamante Landslide Gives Labour Full Hold On House Of Representatives

– Record polling – 42 candidates forfeit £50 deposit

Alexander Bustamante, gaunt Labour leader, practically made good his boast to pack the House of Representatives with 75 per cent of the candidates, for final election figures yesterday showed that the popular vote had returned 23 Labour nominees out of the total of 32 elected. In the case of one of the constituencies won by an Independent, it is felt that the member has a definite understanding with Labour, a fact which resulted in Mr Bustamante deciding not to enter any representative in the contest.

The People's National Party (PNP) has gained four seats, being nosed out by the Independents with five. In two seats, the preliminary returns showed such narrow margins that it is felt quite likely that the final counting may effect some changes. The first is in the constituency of Manchester Southern, where the Labour candidate, Bloomfield, was but 24 ahead of the PNP nominee, Benjamin. The second is St James South-eastern where McFarlane, JLP, won by 43 from Mr Lowe an Independent.

RECORD POLLING

A record percentage of voters went to the polls: of 662,760 on the firsts throughout the island, actually 365,090 or 55.13 per cent voted. The parties and Independents polled in the following order: – The JLP – 150,013 or 41.189 per cent; Independents –111.955 or 30.665 per cent: The PNP – 84.842 or 23.25: the JLP 14.772 or 4.048 per cent, and other parties – 3.508 or 961 per cent of the total polled. It would seem significant that labour collected more than twice as many seats as all the others combined. Labour votes were less than half the total polled.

Of the 130 candidates who fought out the elections, about 42 will forfeit the deposit of £50 required from each, as each failed to get one-eighth of the total number of votes polled in his constituency. It is considered significant that not one PNP candidate is likely to thus forfeit his deposit: one labour, four JLP, while as many as 34 Independents will suffer in this way. This fact is considered to be an indication that the days of "the Independent candidate" will soon be over.

GOT MOST VOTES

The highest individual votes polled were by C. C. Campbell, Labour candidate for Westmoreland Western –11,241 out of a possible total of 24,224 in the constituency. The next highest number was polled by Dr Lloyd, the PNP's candidate for St Ann Eastern – 9,888. Dr Lloyd achieved the greatest majority or 8,512 over his nearest rival. Next came Campbell with a margin of 8,200 and Alexander Bustamante himself third with 6,083 scored against Ken Hill, PNP, in Kingston Western.

Members of the old Legislative Council suffered heavy casualties. Stalwarts like Rev Maxwell (Trelawny), E.A. McNeill (St Catherine), A.B. Lowe (St James), R.O. Terrier (Clarendon), Dr Anderson, St Andrew), M. Segre (Westmoreland), and E.V. Allen (St Elizabeth), were rejected under Adult Suffrage; but they went down fighting strongly. Dr O.E. Anderson is the only one likely to forfeit his deposit. Rev Veitch, Dr Lloyd, H.E. Allen and Roy Lindo were the only ones to win seats in the new House; of these two, the  latter fought on Independent tickets, but Veitch turned out for Labour and Lloyd, as in the former house, ran under the PNP colours. All of those who went down fought on Independent tickets. Lowe has lost by the narrowest margin of the lot, being nosed out by the Labour candidate McFarlane in South-eastern St James by only 43 votes.

MORE HISTORY BY LABOUR

The JLP will send into the House of Representatives the first woman to sit in any Legislative Chamber in the history of the island. She is Miss Iris Collins who polled in St James North-western more votes than all her opponents put together. The PNP counterpart, Edith Dalton-James, lost by a decisive margin to E.R.D. Evans, Labour candidate. in St Andrew Western.

Actually, the JLP has returned two doctors, two lawyers, two ministers of religion, six schoolteachers, in addition to several businessmen, planters and four members of the BITU executive, exclusive of Alexander Bustamante.

THE LEADERS WORN OUT

Most of the candidates sat up nearly all through the night of Election Day and through the early morning following. Bustamante, after being advised of his victory, went to the headquarters of the party at Duke Street where a huge crowd acclaimed him. He left at about five o'clock for his home on D'Aguilar Road, off Waltham Park Road, where he promptly turned in for a well-needed rest.

With his departure, the crowds of Labourites, jubilant though they were, left the streets without any untoward incident marring their victory. Bustamante slept until around 4 p.m. when he woke up, dressed and gave an interview to The Gleaner staffmen.

"I am tired," he told them, "I shall have to rest for a day or two." He revealed, however. that he would soon be setting out on tour of the constituencies which had voted Labour. "On a sort of goodwill tour," he volunteered.

When it was mentioned to him that speculation was rife as to who would be the Speaker of the new House, he refused to be drawn into an official statement; but he did not categorically deny that the two solicitors, E.R.D. Evans and F.A. Pixley, might be well in the running. Bustamante interjected a blunt "No" to the feeler that he might aspire to the Speaker's chair, which led to the remark by the reporter that the Labour leader might himself decide to sit on the Executive Council. Rumour has it that he would endeavour to take with him the Hon H.E Allan, PC, who is said to have strong Labour leanings.

Attempts to get an interview with the PNP leader, Mr N.W. Manley, failed. It transpired that Manley, who had sat up until daylight, had been so worn out with his election activities and lack of sleep that he, too, could not find the energy to rouse himself until early evening

Mr. Abe Issa, the leader of the JDP, also slept late and confessed to a reporter in the latish afternoon that he just wanted to sleep on, so tired he was. However, he roused himself sufficiently to give a statement to the press. Manley is expected for Monday or Tuesday’s issue. He had evidently decided that a statement from his party Executive would accompany any personal remarks.

In the meanwhile, the city of Kingston and, indeed, the entire Corporate Area, has resumed something of its pre-election atmosphere, although there is still an amount of tension to be found especially where groups of members of rival parties congregate.

BBC ANNOUNCEMENT

The BBC announced from London yesterday: The elections in Jamaica resulted in the Labour Party taking 23 of the 32 seats in the House of Representatives. The head of the People’s National Party, Mr Norman Manley, was defeated by a Labour candidate. The elections were held under a new constitution and, for the first time in the history of the British West Indies, everybody over 21 was entitled to vote.

It now remains for the governor of Jamaica to appoint the Legislative Council as the Upper House.

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