The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, August 24, 1911. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1034, 24 August 1911, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, August 24, 1911. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

We received the following telegram from Mr Byron Brown yesterday, relative to the rumour that he had sold his businesses and intended to take up his residence in Australia : “ Sold businesses to run my various farms ; not going to Australia; will open election compaign early in September.”

According to our Levin contemporary, “ in response to a requisition from Levin signatories to the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Massey states (in a letter to Mr R. G. Makin) that he will be very pleased to speak in Levin on political matters. He will not come up, however, until after Sir Joseph Ward delivers his financial statements, and the debate thereon shall have been concluded.” It appears from the above that Mr Monckton, the Opposition candidate for Otaki, is relying to a great extent upon his “ big political brothers ’ ’ to fight his battle for him. What a contrast to the independent attitude of the Opposition member for Mauawatu last election. Mr Newman refused outside assistance, and won off his own bat. If the Opposition candidate for Otaki doesn’t feel equal to the task set him, he should pull out. The recent visit of the Act-ing-Prime Minister to Levin, accompanied by a bevy of Liberal Parliamentarians to attend a social and presentation to the Member for Otaki, at such a moment, has not left a good impression upon the electors. There are times when it is refreshing to receive visits from Party leaders in an electorate, but it’s a little too suggestive when these visits are close to the genera 1 election. It is indicative of a candidate’s weakness, and reminds us of the weakling who is alleged to have wired to the Party boss during the

stress of a political battle : “For the love of heaveu, come and help me !”

An impression is prevalent among some persons that the electoral census schedule left at each household recently is of itself sufficient to enable their names to be placed upon the roll. This mistake is evidently due to the fact that they have not taken the trouble to read the instructions on the schedule, which are as follows: “The entering of names upon this schedule must not be regarded as sufficient for enrolment, as the law requires that every elector not already on the roll shall sign a claim for enrolment form.” The electoral census schedule is used principally for the purpose of purging the roll. Those people who imagine that the schedule is sufficient to enrol will probably find themselves not on the roll on polling day—that is, if they fail to sign claim forms. The latter are procurable at all local registry offices. It would be well for electors to ascertain definitely whether their names are on the roll. Quite a number of people have informed us that they didn’t receive electoral census schedules and are doubtful whether they are on the roll or not.

Our Levin contemporary is urging the claims of Levin as the headquarters of the Otaki electorate. It says: “A petition in favour of this change went down from Levin some three months ago, to the Hon. Jas. Carroll, Acting-Minister for Internal Affairs. That gentleman wrote to the Levin Chamber of Commerce for further particulars, and for a set of specific reasons in favour of the proposed change. These were sent on.” The Chronicle then proceeds, “the existing right of Levin to be made the headquarters of the electorate has been strengthened by the remodelling that has been made in its boundaries by the Electoral Commissioners, for with the important towns of Shannon and Foxton lo its northward, and with Ohau, Manakau, Otaki, Waikanae, Te Horo, Paraparaumu and Paekakariki to the southward, the borough of Levin stands prominently out as the more central, and largest, and relatively more-important, of all the centres of population in the constituency.” That Levin is the more central we think must be conceded, but Foxton denies that Levin is “the largest and relatively more important of all the centres of population!” Levin has a smaller population than Foxton and commercially it must take a secondary place to Foxton. What is Mr Field’s opinion on the point ? Also, will the locall Borough Council urge Foxton’s claim to consideration.