ROTORUA ELECTORATE.

Putaruru Press, Volume VI, Issue 251, 23 August 1928, Page 1

ROTORUA ELECTORATE.

COUNTRY PARTY ACTIVITY. Mr. Poison’s Position. Delegates of the Country Party for the Rotorua electorate met at Putaruru on Saturday to select a candidate to contest this seat at the forthcoming election. The ‘ meeting was addressed by the secretary (Mr. L. Nicklin) and also by Mr. W. J. Poison, president of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union. Mr. Poison suggested that the meeting be adjourned with a view to obtaining the services of another gentleman whose name was not before the meeting. After some discussion this course was adopted, and Messrs. L. M. Nicklin and E. D. White were appointed to interview the gentleman concerned and report in a week’s time.

From what can be gathered there appears to be a definite break between Mr. Poison and the United Party, and as Mr. Poison is a protectionist, and the Country Party stands strictly for free trade, it would seem that the much-discussed president of the Farmers’ Union must now throw in his lot with the Reform Party. In conversation with a representative of this paper the Country Party secretary for the Rotorua electorate, Mr. L. M. Nicklin, charged the United Party with a distinct breach of faith in that headquarters at Wellington had promised that the Rotorua, Franklin, Bay of fslands and Tauranga seats would not be contested, while the Waikato seat was to be submitted to arbitration. In each of these electorates, it was asserted, endeavours were being made to promote the candidature of a member of the United Party. So far as the Rotorua electorate is concerned it has definitely been decided to run a candidate and it is confidently expected that a definite choice will be made next Saturday.