WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 4 November 1925, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

TilE DAY OF DECISION. STILL CUHTOVS APATHY. (Special to " Guardian.”) WELLINGTON, November 2. Never before, according to lolk whose memories run liaek half a century or more, has Wellington displayed so little interest in a Parliamentary election as it is doing at the present time. On the very eve of the polling thousands of people remain in ignorance of the differences between the parties and utterly careless as to the outcome of the voting. Probably not more than ten per cent of the qualified electors leave attended a candidate’s meeting, and certainly not more than live per cent, outside the ranks ol Labour, have identified themselves with any persona] campaign. The majority of the candidates have had very scanty meetings, audiences of under fifty being quite common in tliieklv populated parts of the city and suburbs. In these circumstances it might leave been supposed that the nulling would be smaller fban usual, hut lhe officials predict that the keenness of the licensing poll will bring the usual number of electors to the booths, and, being there to vote liquor in or out, as the ease may be, they will east their votes lor one of the parties if only to keep their registration alive. This seems likely enough to be the case, hut the fact that a large proportion of the electors are taking little interest in the constitution of Pnrlia-

niou remains. THE WELLINGTON SEATS. In the House of Representatives just dissolved three of the Wellington seats. Central, East and South, were held hv the Labour Party; two, North and Suburbs, by the Reform and one, I lull, by the Liberal Party. A month ago it looked as if this disposition of the city’s representatives would ho undisturbed ; hut during the past fortnight -Mr Forsyth, the Reform candidate, lias made very considerable progress against the Labour candidate in Wellington East, while Mr Sievwright, the Liberal candidate, has made even greater progress against the- Labour candidate in Wellington South. There will he no splitting of votes in those two constituencies and if the Reformers and 11 to Liberals hold together they each may win a sont at the expense of Labour. .Many people are predicting, however, that when either of the older parties has to make' a choice between its traditional opjxment tend Labour its votes will go to Labour. « If this is so in Wellington East and Wellington tVoutli, then, of course both seats will remain with Labour. The Jlult seat is in tt somewhat similar position. The Reform.'et's have put up no opponent to .Mr Willord in this constituency and have implied that their support will be given to the ex-Lcader of the Liberal Opposition as against the Labour candidate. If they should east their votes the other way Mr Milford would he defeated.

A LARGER STRONG HOLD. ft was only by the most strenuous efforts that the Government at last succeeded in persuading a candidate to enter the lists against Mr Peter Eraser. in Wellington Central. The privilege of crossing swords with the most adroit of the Labour champions in ihe party’s stronghold was declined by quite a number of doughty Reformers before Mr Dunbar Sloane, who contested the Wellington Suburbs seat in the interests of the Liberal Party six years ago, was induced to lead the forlorn hope. In the circumstances Mr Sloane. an enterprising ’Wellington land agent, has clone extraordinarily well, and has sacrificed none of his Liberal principles by throwing in his lot: with the now Reform leader, lint his chance of ■ tic-

VC-,;, is verv small indeed, even axsuni in, that his former Liberal supporters '.'ud hv him in the ionte-1. and hi-, 111. ml., mil hr -soil .MOI. 111 il lie pulls

don o substantially Mr Fraser's majority ol •fl!-52 over his Reform and Liberal opponents in 1022. If elections were won from Hie platform the Wellington North scat would he as good as a gift to Mr J. J. McGrath, his speeches, both in mat ter and manner, being immeasurably better than those of the Reform and Labour candidates;

hill in u three-cornered contest in u'hieli discipline mid organisn lion will count for mure than anything else Sir -John Lulce nmy manage lu secure i!ie vote lot- the (toverilinent 1 1 v a very narrow majority. Air 11. A. AVright is being hard pushed by liis l.ahoiir opponent in Wellington Silhurhs and will •jet hack only hv a small margin. THE XEW lIOCSE.

The Prime Minister's modest predielion that the Heformors will gain as many seals in the House as they will lose a I the election on Wednesday is mil tie wannest encouragement he eould have offered his supporters. If .Mr Coates meant what he said, lie is contemplating holding; ufliee by a majority of only two or throe voles, a margin very inueli helow t lie one ex-

pected by his more sanguine friends. The newspaper predictions, however, are not much more precise than those of the .Minister. They declare there will lie little change in Auckland. Wellington find Otago, and that the gains for the Ooverninenl. if there are any, must come from Haulers Pay, Taranaki, and Canterbury. in CaiiLerhury, according to the Christchurch correspondent ol' the " Dominion." Reform will increase ils representation from live members to eight, hy Kaiapoi. Kieeartou and f hristelmreh Xorlh, renouneing l.ihoralism and openly siding

with the Oovernmont. .As a matter of fact ihi.- would mean only one additional Canterbury vote fur the floverninent, since the former " Liberal " members for Rieearton and Christill arch North voted with the Reformers on motions of " no-eonlidenee.” Rut it. is further predicted that the Taranaki, I’alea and Oamaru seats will go ever in Reform and that Tetnuka will return to l.ihoralism. If tliese propheeies should he realised and other doubtful seats equally divided, the Ciovernment would return with a majority ol three or four of the Kuropean seats with the certainty of the margin being enlarged to five or six hy the -Maori votes.