CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22523, 4 October 1938, Page 10

CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION

WHAT NOMINATIONS REVEAL MANY STRAIGHT-OUT CONTESTS FEWER ASPIRANTS FOR PARLIAMENT

Fewer candidates are offering for the polls at the General Election on October 15 than have presented themselves to electors in elections since the war. The candidates for the 80 European and Maori seats total 177, as against 251 three years ago. The straight-out contests number 68, compared with 17 in 1935. Once again, no sitting member is elected unopposed.

In 64 electorates, the election will be fought on the straight-out issue of National versus Labour. In two electorates —Nelson and Mataura — the National Party is opposing the sitting Independent member alone, while in Egmont . and Wellington West, the sitting Independent candidates are opposed only by Labour candidates. In one electorate only— Wellington North—the Labour member is challenged by two Independents.

No European seats will be contested by more than three candidates, but two Maori electorates — Western and Southern—have the choice of four men, and Eastern Maori, held by. Sir Apirana Ngata (National), has attracted five candidates.

The affiliations of all candidates, compared with the party representation at the 1935 elections, are:—

Withdrawal of Independents A significant feature of nomination day was that eight Independent candidates for European seats declined to proceed with their intentions to contest the election. Of the.lndependents who had announced their candidature previously, those who have withdrawn are Messrs A. S. Lyons (Mid-Canter-bury), W. B. Bray (Lyttelton), W. D. Lysnar (Gisborne), W. Brown (Bay of Islands), R. Foley (Stratford), H. A. Brough (Clutha), W. Grounds (Bay of Islands), and T. V. Hardy and L. A. Niederer (Awarua). Mr F. Allen (Auckland Suburbs), who recently announced his candidature, deposited the required £lO. Three Polls Compared That the issue lies between two parties is clearly indicated in the figures of candidates for the coming and the last two polls. They are:—

At the 1935 election the large numI ber of three-cornered contests was caused by the Democrat Party, which failed to win one seat. The Countfy Party, which has never advanced south of North Auckland, has only one official representative this month—Mr A. C. A. Sexton, the sitting member for Franklin. Mr Sexton is being opposed by both the National and Labour parties. The Ratana Party has disappeared from the Maori elections, those elected on this ticket last election having indicated their support for Labour, wh»se banner they now officially carry. No Communists are standing.

Canterbury Seats The only three-cornered European contest in the South Island is at Invercargill. where an Independent has come into the field against the National and Labour representatives. For the first time for many elections, all the Canterbury, Marlborough West Coast, and North Otago seats will be straight-out contests. In 1935. Westland, Buller, Motueka, and Nelson, Avon and Timaru, were contested by two candidates, Wairau (now Marlborough) and Riccarton had four in the field, and three-cornered fights were staged in ,the remaining 10 electorates. Six of the triangular elections are in the Auckland district, while in Wellington North the sitting Labour member is being opposed by two Independents. Women and Ministers . : Four women sought Parliamentary honours, without success, three years ago, and three are in the field this time. They are Mrs Knox Gilmer, who is standing for Wellington North as a Liberal—a solitary one—and is ' not being opposed by the National Party, the Rev. M. M. Dreaver (Labour), who is contesting the Remuera seat against Mr W. P. Endean, and Mrs C. Stewart (Wellington Suburbs).

Four ministers of religion are contesting the election. The number is the same as last year, and again all represent the Labour Party. They are the Rev. F. L. Frost (New Plymouth), the Rev. A. H. Nordmeyer (Oamaru), the Rev. C. L. Carr (Timaru), and the Rev. Mrs Dreaver (Remuera).

The complete list of nominations for the General Election is printed on Page 16. Other election news appears on Pages 8 and Page 12.

1935. 1938 Labour <.. . 72 78 National .. . 73 76 Independent 34 16 Democrat 50 — Liberal 4 1 Country .. . 3 1 Ind. Labour 2 4 Ind. National 1 1 Ind. Country 2 — Ratana 4 — Communist 3 — Lib. Democrat 2 — National Liberal . 1 — Totals 251 177

1931 1935 1938 Unopposed 4 — — Straight-out 41 17 68 Three candidates 27 38 9 Four candidates .. 5 20 2 Five candidates .. 2 3 1 Six candidates 1 1 — Seven candidates — ■ 1 —