BY-ELECTION PREVIEW

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 182, 19 November 1941, Page 4

BY-ELECTION PREVIEW

DOMINION interest will be focussed on the approaching by-election for the Bay of Plenty seat. December 13th will spell the result which many people will regard as an indication of what the General Election might have been. In any case it appears fairly certain that the three main parties now struggling for political recognition will enter the. lists and stage a short intensive campaign throughout this electorate. The position of the Labour candidate (as we write) is obscure, but from enquiries made in responsible quarters it is stated upon authority that the identity of the person to recontest the seat in Government interests will be released from headquarters at any moment. Up till yesterday there were several names under consideration and local supporters were standing by in eager anticipation. The National Party ha.ve likewise to announce their champion, though several prominent citizens have been mentioned. It is interesting to note also the serious conversations of the new Democratic Labour Party on the matter and we can only observe, that if the party bitterness is intense enough to permit that political body to put up a third candidate, the Labour vote must suffer. On the other hand the balance of power from a public point of view appears to be fairly even throughout the electorate, but a split in Labour's vote cannot be calculated to assist the Government to retain the: seat. It has been said in. contravention of all this that a war-time election can never be foretold with any degree of certainty. Nearly a thousand electors are away with the fighting forces. Hundreds of homes as a result have, been temporarily disbanded. Questions of the hour, are far apart from political and the same intensive Party feeling cannot be engendered. Active campaigning will be handicapped by virtue of the travel difficulties, the greater degree of responsibility upon the average persons shoulders, and the uninviting atmosphere resulting "from the 'black-out.' From prominent National Party members in this district, it is learned that the organisation is in earnest and will exert the greatest efforts to regain the seat. Labour claim that the splendid record of the late holder, will stand the new candidate in good stead. The Lee-Barnard group on the other hand appear to regard the by-election as an excellent opportunity of testing the feelings of the electors on the subject of the new order by them. Thus, on the threshold of the campaign, with the names of the candidates still unannounced we can only treat the matter broadly and work upon the points as we see them in a general way. There is every indication, however that in spite of the shortness of time the campaign will be a particularly keen and intensive one.