PREPARATIONS IN WAIPAWA

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1061, 27 August 1930, Page 8

PREPARATIONS IN WAIPAWA

HARD on the heels of the United Party’s success in retaining the l'nvercargill seat comes the announcement of preparations for the by—eleetion at \Vaipawa, a seat held, up to the time of his death, by the late Sir George Hunter. Another by-election, for the \Vestern Maori seat left vacant through the death of Sir Maui Pomare, is also pending, but in the case of a Maori constitu—ency the contest, whatever its result, can hardly be considered an important reflex of the country’s political thought. The fight for Western hlaori will be to a. great extent one of personalities, with tribal influences and the prestige of the candidates playing a greater part than the political situation itself. In the case of the Waipawa by-election, recent political happenings will inevitably be strong factors, and the battle of parties will be rigorously waged. Embracing a strip of the richest pastoral country in New Zealand, the \Vaipawa electorate is a territory of large sheepstations, reduced from time to time by inevitable subdivisions, but still covering the greater part of the district. lts chief town, \Vaipukurau, has an interesting history, characteristic of the locality. In its infancy, \Vaipukurau was fostered by one of the. rich landowners, “Lord Henry” Russell, who strove to preserve it as a typical English village, into which vulgar competition between tradespeople would not be permitted to enter. But destiny had willed \Vaipukurau to be something more than a, rural hamlet, and although the district remained one. of great stations, spread over the rolling country between the coast and the Ruahines, progressive thought still flourished there to such an extent that for many years the representative in Parliament was a Liberal and a Seddonite, the late Charles Hall. Thus \Vaipawa, though faithful to Sir George Hunter since 1911, cannot be considered as traditionally a Reform constitu—ency. and although Sir George’s large majorities had not at. recent elections been impaired, the introduction of new personalities may provoke a keen and interesting struggle. Chief interest at the moment will centre in theparty meetings at which those representative personalities will be selected. At neither of the two past general elections has Labour contested the seat, and if it does so now it will merely be a complicating factor, and not a serious contender. An outstanding public figure in the district is Mr. A. E. Jull, chairman of the Napier Harbour Board, whose pronounced Liberal leanings may induce him to offer his services to the United Party. On the Reform side, Sir Andrew Russell, who is well fitted to follow in the genial footsteps of the late member, may be a possible candidate. If these two were to be nominated, a very interesting contest would follow.