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Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 198, 19 May 1944, Page 4

Auckland has provided a striking illustration of how the application of machine party polities affect local body elections. At meetings of both the Auckland Electric Power Board and the Auckland Transport Board members expressed their regret that a Labour member, Mr. J. Sayegb, was not a candidate for re-election and, in acknowledging the remarks made, he indicated that he had lost favour in the eyes of the present leaders of the Labour Party in Auckland. The chairman of the Transport Board mentioned that Mr. Sayegli had been a member for nine and chairman for two years, and added that his absence from the list of nominations had given the board a shock. “It is a shock to inc, 100, that I am not standing again,” Mr. Sayegh replied. “I was quite fit and well when I submitted my name to the people who, I thought, would appreciate my work. I was told the answer was ‘No.’” At the meeting of the Electric Power Board regret was expressed that Mr. Sayegb bad not stood ns an independent, and he explained that while he was willing and des.rous of offering his services “the organization with which he bad seitec n.i oi tunately did not think he was a fit and proper person to represent the people.” That shows the rigid party machine in operation. It has deprived the electors generally of an opportunity for voting for a man with lengthy experience of local body wofk and one who obviously had won the esteem of his colleagues.