WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 March 1918, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

WELLINGTON NORTH. THE DAY OF DECISION | (Our Special Correspondent) i Wellington, March .1 j There is a feeling of relief among i erious people in the city to-day over | be return of the National Governnent’s candidate at the election 1 ■esterday. Air Brandon s friends mil Mr Poison’s friends, with few ixceptions, admit it would have been i, catastrophe if an opponent of the Dominion’s settled war policy had jeen sent to Parliament by wlmt the Prime Minister himself has described is the most intelligent constituency in the country at this extremely critical juncture in the affairs of the Empire. No sane person really believed the Kaiser and his "War Lords were waiting with jubilant expectancy for Mr Holland to be added to their Allies in the great world struggle, but evei’yone realises that the success of the .Labour candidate would have given encouragement to those deluded people in our midst who imagine the war is to he won by other means than those of vigorous fighting. ✓ THE I’IGUKES. But while sober citizens are congratulating themselves upon what happened yesterday they are not losing sight of the significance of the figures. At the last general election the Hon A. L. Herd man, the Reform candidate, polled 4,550 votes, Air W, H. Turnbull, the Liberal candidate, I, and Mr H. E. Holland, the Labour candidate, 1,088, a total ol 8,183 votes. At yesterday’s election Mr ,T. P. Luke, the National Government’s candidate,, polled 2,980 votes, Mr H. E. Holland, the Labour candidate, 2,506, Air A. Brandon, tho Independent Reform candidate, 810, and Air A. J. Poison, the Independent Liberal candidate, 720, a. total oi 7,OSS votes. Here with a roll increased by over a thousand there arc more than a thousand fewer Votes. This means that an extraordinarily large proportion of the electors abstained from voting, presumably on the ground that tliey could fine among the four candidates none they considered worthy of their support.

THE lIRA IST OF THE ELECTORATE

An impartial analysis of the figures seems to show that while 4,522 of the 7,088 votes polled were cast in support of the Government’s war policy, or, at any’rate, in favour of a vigorous prosecution of the war, only 2,986 were cast in support of the Government’s general administration. The first total represents the votes accorded to Mr Luke, Mr Brandon and All* Poison in conjunction and the second total those accorded to Mr Luke alone. The electors who voted for Air Luke were the only’ ones that gave unqualified support to the Government, and many of tiiese dropped their papers into the ballot-box with some reluctance ancl many reservations. The votes castfor Mr Holland, of course, were intended to express disapproval of both the Government’s policy and its administration. Taken all in all the t'esult’ of the election indicates that public opinion is sound in regard to the war, but growingly critical of the management of the affairs of the country.

THE LESSONS. The lessons of the contest are plain enough for Ministers and everyone else to read. Air Alassey made a grave initial mistake in nominating Mr J. P. Luke as the Government’s candidate for the vacancy. Air Luke is a very worthy’ gentleman and a very courteous and industrious mayor, but he is lacking in all the qualitier. that go to make up an impressive politician As a faithful unquestioning supporter-of the Government he will serve all the purposes that lie before a member of the House in the immediate future, but when the war is over and the party truce at an end he will find himself hopelessly adrift upon the turbulent, sea of politics. The party leaders must look for candidates of quite a different type for

the election which will follow upon! the conclusion of peace. The revolt against ministerial domination in W ellington North was stemmed by the presence of the war, but Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward will do well to remember it as a symptom of the approaching political revival which, according to the Liberal leader ! himself, is going to change the whole character of Parliaments.