THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is Incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY. “Public Service.” WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 1943. INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 52, Issue 3293, 28 July 1943, Page 4

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is Incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY. “Public Service.” WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 1943. INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES

We have recently published advice that a Waihi resident has decided to contest the . Thames seat in the coming election. We have published a list of Independents whose candidature is to be supported by the People’s Movement. It would appear at this stage that there will be a very large number of non-party aspirants for political honours. What, may be asked, is the reason for this development? It is evident that in the majority of cases, the ladies and gentlemen concerned are not sympathetic with the present administration, and in some cases are allowing their names to go forward because they genuinely believe that party government is not in the best interests of the country. Others are mere opportunists, while some again, have supported the National Party in the past, but contend that they are not satisfied with the Opposition organisation. We cannot believe that a large number of Independents will reach the House, and we think that their presence in many cases will cloud the issue, with the result that many of the seats will be won on minority votes.

On one side of the fence we will have the Labour Party and the Lee-ites, forces will be National Party, Real Democracy Movement candidates and the majority of the Independents. In the prevailing circumstances, the crux of the election is to be .State bureaucracy and pseudo-socialism, or a return to the freedom of private enterprice and less State interference in every phase of life. In the nature of things, we must have party policies, and although we realise that the Independents have a right to stand, we are of the opinion that by facing the polls these people are defeating theii’ object in that they will give the present Government an assurance of victory. In many cases their candidateur is inspired by the desire to sweep Labour from the Treasury benches but they will not accomplish this by splitting the votes in many electorates where the majority has been slender in the past. The anti-Labour forces must close their ranks if they wish to have a reasonable chance of victory, and the leaders of the National Party would be-/well advised to discuss the question fully and frankly with the Independent candidates. If there are to be four or five contestants in the constituencies the position will be farcical and New Zealand may well have a Government which represents a very small minority of the electors.