PAHIATUA BY-ELECTION

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2853, 18 August 1916, Page 4

PAHIATUA BY-ELECTION

The contest for the Pahiatua seat does not appear to have excited very much interest in the electorate, possibly on account of the fact that tho only two candidates who possessed any prospect of success both declared themselves in favour of the National Government.' Mr. B. Smith, the official candidate, who under the agreement between tl'O political parties was put forward by the Reform Party, was clected by a narrow majority over Mil. It. 8.. Ross, a former representative of the electorate in Parliament. Ma. Ross is a good election campaigner, and the fact that lie announced himself as a supporter of the National Government no doubt assisted to make _ the contest a close ono. The polling was small, the total number of votes recorded being 3200, as against 5129 at the general election in 1914, when Mil. Escott's votes alone totalled 2906. The most significant feature of the contest was the complete and utter failure of the Labour-Socialist party, whoso representatives in Parliament have so Dittcrly assailed the National Government in and out of season. _ Puffed up .. and blinded with their own conceit, they imagined that their wild talk and the gross and malicious distortions of tneir pamphleteers had paved the wa,y to a striking political success at Pahiatua. They rushed their chosen platform orators to th'e electorate, several members of Parliament being included in the list, and stumped the electorate with the utmost energy. They spread their precious "literature" broadcast, and their official organ proclaimed to its readers the tremendous batCTe that was being waged, the splendid speeches their champions were making, and tho convincing effect of their oratory on the enthusiastic Pahiatua electors. And £o-tlay the* have the polling figures to show the results actually achieved. Their candidate did not poll a sufficient number of votes even to save his deposit. Out of a total of 3200 votes recorded only 241 were registered in his favour, in spite of the tremendous effort made on his behalf by the imported speakers and' political organisers. It is tho answer of the electors of Pahiatua to the unjust and extravagant criticism hurled at tho National Government by _ the extremists of tho La-bour-Socialist group who have proved so unhelpful in this time of national emergency. The new member for Pahiatua should serve his constituency with credit, and prove a useful _ addition to the rants of our Parliamentarians.