The Manawatu Herald. Saturday,october 31,1914. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1318, 31 October 1914, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Saturday,october 31,1914. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

The general elections will be held early in December, and every voter should see that hi.s or her name appears on the main roll, or lose no time to have it placed on the supplementary roll. So far as this electorate is concerned, three candidates will go to the poll, representing the Government (Mr W. H. Field), Opposition (Mr B. R. Gardener), and Social Democrats (Mr }. Robertson). The candidates will, in due course, set forth the respective policies of the parties they represent. Apart from this, a few side lines will be introduced which is bound to stir up bitterness and tighten the Party lines. It is safe to predict that there will be some hard fighting and no quarter. The sitting member, who represents the extreme Labour section, will have to face the music in respect to his broken pledge, his attitude during the strike, his opposition to the military training, the several division lists in which his name appears, and what is ol particular importance to Foxtou, his opposition to the Railway Bill, which, if rejected, would have blocked the junctioning of the Foxtou-Sandon railway with the Maiu Trunk line. Mr Robertson is a very astute gentleman, and he will require careful watching by the other parties. Farther, the Social Democratic Party in this constituency is-well organised, and have their supporters well in hand — although there, is not the same unanimity among Mr Robertson's supporters that was apparent last election. Mr Field has yet to break down a certain prejudice in the Reform ranks to reconcile his change from the Ward Party to the present Government. This, we believe, he will be able to do to the satisfaction ol those concerned. Mr Gardener should enlighten the Opposition as to why he is entitled to their undivided support, and to explain that there has been no bargaining with his party leaders and Mr Robertson touching the election in this constituency.

There is evidence of a mix-up with the candidates in this constituency and the Prohibition and Bible in-Schools Parties. The two latter parlies have in large measure signed pledge cards which preclude them from supporting candidates opposed to their demands. Mr Robertson is opposed to the Bible-in-Schools Referendum Bill—this is somewhat inconsistent with his professed democratic ideals—but he favours the bare majority on the liquor question. Messrs Field and Gardener are opposed to the Bible-in-Schools Referendum, and their position on the liquor question has not yet been disclosed. The Prohibition Patty in this electorate are, we believe, in the main, supporters of the present Government, and much as some people may think to the contrary, represent the factor which cau turn the tide ot the political battle for or against any candidate. The disfranchise raent of only 250 of the pledged 900 odd cannot be trifled with. The wisdom or otherwise of being one eyed on these matters is, of course, their personal concern, but it complicates matters and makes the party election issue very uncertain.