Manawatu Herald. [Established Aug. 27, 1878.] THURSDAY, JULY 28, 1904. The Pahiatua Election.

Manawatu Herald, 28 July 1904, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. [Established Aug. 27, 1878.] THURSDAY, JULY 28, 1904. The Pahiatua Election.

The election of a member to represent the Pahiatua Constituency takes place to-day. There, are five candidates for the seat: Messrs Buick and Crewe (Govt.), Bolton and Munro (Opposition), and Hawkins (Indept.) The consensus of opinion is that Messrs Buick, Bolton, and Hawkins, have the best chance of success. It is almost certain that Mr Munro, who hails from Weber, will be out of it. He was very late in announcing himself as a candidate, and the only electioneering he has done has been through the medium of the newspaper. Moreover, as the Standard puts it, What may be considered a big gun at Weber is only a toy cannon elsewhere.” At first several other gentlemen took the field in the Government interest, but recognising that Mr Buick was the popular candidate, and that a number of Government nominees would cause the Government vote to be split, they had the good sense to retire from the contest, with the exception of Mr Crewe, who still persists in a seemingly vain endeavour to obtain the seat. It is amusing to notice the manner in which the N.Z. Times deals with the election. The Times evidently takes the matter very seriously, and is straining every nerve to secure Mr Buick’s return. Mr Hawkins, the Independent candidate, finds very little favour in their eyes, and in the last few issues of their paper they have devoted considerable apace to a severe criticism of his views. To our mind a great deal too much ink has been expended over the matter of the. election, and a member more .or less can be of little consequence to either the Government or the Opposition. At any rate the papers within the constituency are quite able to advocate the claims of the various candidates without any outside aid, and the Times would have been acting more bona fide if they had refrained from actively interfering in the electian. This action, coupled with Sir Joseph Ward’s hasty visit to Pahiatua, in the eleventh hour, seems to imply than the Government has some fears as to the result of the •polling. However, comment is needlets at this juncture. The matter will be decided to-day, and the Pahiatua elector? will no doubt be wise enough not to attach much inP portance to the appeals of a partisan paper, but to return as their repfie* sentative the man who will best: further the interests of the elec-, torate.