WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 29 August 1933, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

wcmenlin^politics. - , THEIR OPPORTUNITY . (Special Correspondent.) * WELLINGTON, August 2oTh© ‘‘Dominion’ f ■&,this lhotnilig, apropos, no doubt, v (if tH© appearance of. Mrs: B. R. McCombs as a candidate for th© Lyttelton seat, 'in tho House of Representatives, occasioned by the decease of her husband,' lias furnished its readers with a * list •of Women Who' have sought a place in ; the New Zealand Parliament, since seats! in .the elected chamber were mfide! eligible to wo-men.-in 1919. * a clause in the Act run's “shall not be disqualified by sex-of . iriarriage from being elected as a member of thje House of Representatives, or-from .sitting or voting as' a member (thereof, -anything contrary •in the Legislature Act 190$ or. ifi any other Aot notwithstanding.” There the clause of the Act has remained for nineteen 'years, .-put go far po body of electors has been' chivalrous enough to estond^aspat* to 1 a qualified female candidate.' d’TWyWV'U'UV : Th© morning piper, in arraying the lack of. chi Valry pn - ■bile, parf of tho male electors, presents in one or. two cases but sordid, pictures. “By.far tho most consistent * woman candidate ’at general elections since (the - passing of legislation,” 'this authority says/ “has been Miss E. Melville;; of Auckland. Mto. E. -R..-. McCombs ,;'.whp: is; -cottfes ting the present Lytttehohby -ejection, has -the second number of political contests to ' her cre'dit. ‘ At least seven'otherwomen have stood -at different ,times,,bnfc generally, £peak* ing they have received - little support in the elections they iiaVe 'chnlcSted.” The first New .Zealand. election at Which women were candidates was that of 1910. On thaVotoasioh .Miss MohMHo .stood for Gtoy L,Vnh, “MraE. W. Kane for. f hvnell and Mrs A. A. M. Cooke for Thames'. Miss MelviUo was second on the poll,’but the. other lady aspirants did" not fare quite so well. ' ' • ,

At the general election, of 1922 Miss Melville stood for the Roskill seat, Mrs A. McVicar contested Wellington East .and Mrs : A;GE ; UHerberte was a ; candidate for Avon,- but none of the , ladies received the support they should have done. In T 925 Miss Meville, standing for the Grey Lynn seat, was the only female candidate to .face the poll, and secured less than her. deserts, while in the following year, when Sir James Parr vacated his. seat-to occupy the High Commissionership in London, she again was unsuccessful. Five women took part in the general election of IS2B, Mrs C. E. Maqure, Mrs L. . Paterson, Mrs M. Young; Mrs McCombs and Miss Melville. Mrs Mccombs land Miss Melville were the only female candidate at- the last general election and Mrs McCombs ', again largely excelled the efforts of any of her contemporaries.

It seems .strange that ;Miss Melville, who made such strenuous efforts on behalf of the Reform Government during the latter part of Mr Massey’s public career did not succeed, in securing a seat in the House of Representatives. ‘Perhiaps-she missed;Some.'9f. the advantages Mrs McCombs .. enjoys as, a mistress of the-ins’ ! ahd .'outs of .local fyodies and of their relation- to.Rarliamen. In - her, twq.attempts upon the House of Mrs McCombs. showed any with public affairs, small great, which few of her sexpc&Sess"aha; >yhich many of her .husband’s- associates- lack. It is not'for one. at-a, distance : 'to'.discuss the relative qualities of .-this aspirant or that to a. seat dp .'Parliament, but it may be assumed that the good folk of turn their opportunity to the best possible account;