The Rangitikei Election

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 144, 2 June 1892, Page 2

The Rangitikei Election

Owing to the lamented djßathor' lf r°^ Macarthur an election 'will be'necessary in the Rangitikei district. 7A* nearly a month wilt elapse before the meeting of Parliament, the new- — member, whoever he may ' be| J.*itt r T^ miss very 1 little of the coming session. = That there will be a sharp strugglel .' • for the seat cannot be doubted.' =& >h was in the chief town of the Bangiti-: ; , kei district that Mr Ballance aom'e T \ little time ago received a rote ,of i thanks for a speech and confidence in: - the administration of which he ij* , head. A second meeting in, the sanie 5 replace, after hearing an [address by r she v.i ) late Mr Macarthur, passed a r re»olu> ' tion to the effect that [the vptef to the- ,; Premier had been mMmterpreted^and jy that it was only intended as a piece jof y f civility to a visitor. There has. been^ai good deal of pact; (wmteoversyaa to r the numbers present at the meetings; and as to which resolution . really ex- < pressed the opinions of the majpnty of the electors in and about Feilding. The controversy- was to littje^urpose, as there was' at the same time no means of deciding the Ipbiht las to which side was" right and which? wrong. Nowt , upbappilji the opportunity has vbedjilgXven/Jo settle it. In one respect the .ejection for the Rangitikei district, will be r even, idm^ • v important than was- that v iwr^iu«Bi* - Attention has of late been distinctly drawn to the Northern constituency by the Premier's : speech and ihe dis- I pute as to whether the majority of the electors had, or had not: confidence in the Government. In' other respeots the Rangitikei election will give atest of the political leaning of country settlers in the North Island. Then comes in the serious consideration of how the Ministers! are to , manage to exploit the election. The session is at hand and the members of the Govern* ment must have a great deal, to do in order to get things ready: .They have been almost perpetually' oh the > move since the Houses last rose, and in order to justify their existence it will be necessary for. them , to haytt ; I bills prepared for the opening dayi 4*; . is impossible to leave everything to the Parliamentary Draftsman, and even if it were possible, Ministers muet gain a sort of inkling of the meaning of the measures, which they will have to introduce and advocate. The time is very bare, and it is exceedingly hard on the Ministers that V an election should have to be held ~ now. Even though it is possible 7 1& r ' reach Feildiug from Wellington ia about half a day, it is not easy, to see how more than two Ministers" can possibly be spared for electioneering purposes. As events proved, in Bruce three Ministers, even with the able assistance of other members^ were not ' enough. Perhaps, as it is the fashion to appoint new Ministers, the occasion -may be seized to increase the number still further. Considering' the dire necessity of the case this will be a natural course te- follow.— Nelson Mail. • ' v ; ; -^ -|y ,^ x "