WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taihape Daily Times, 29 January 1918, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE MAORj^Y-ELECTION,

A PLETHORA OF CANDIDA 1

(Special Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, Jan 28.

The multitude of candidates for the Southern Maori seat in the House of Representatives is occasioning the party leaders some little embarrassment. Before the party truce and the formation of the National Government the Reform majority in the House, with Sir Walter Lang in the chair, cohsisted of a single Maori’s vote, the return of Mr. T. Heuare for the Northern District having been the deciding factor in the election of 1914, anct of course the position would remain unchanged if a Liberal were returned in succession to the late Mr. T, Parata for the Southern District. Put a number of electors in the constituency are refusing to submit to the party discipline that has been imposed upon the Europeans and are putting forward candidates of their own choosing to oppose Mr. Henare Parata, the deceased member’s brother who. has received the imprimatur of tional Government. Already there are half-a-dozen aspirants for political honours in the field and though the official candidate seems at the moment to have the best chance of success the mind of the Maori elector iff notoriously the most difficult of all minds to fathom.

THE EUROPEAN EXAMPLE

The difficulties that have arisen in. connection with the Wellington North seat are not calculated to draw the Maori electors towards a sane ani loyal decision. The seat is not vacant yet, owing, it is generally understood, to the Hon, A. L. Herdman being disinclined to change his place of residence just now, but it is tolerably certain the constituency will have to elect a new member within the next, month or two. In the meantime a number of Reformers, dissatisfied with. the selection of Mr. Luke as the official candidate, are looking about for a man more after their own heart to* carry the party colours. The gentle- ■° 1 -h 4 { V >li m!en .who have been approached with ~ this end in view have shown no deep-. . Iy rooted objection to offering themselves up on the altar of public .duty,, ]

but, have refused to accept nomination without the approval of the, ,National Government. This they, are not likely to obtain, Mr. Massey Jiving given his word to Mr. Luke and with only Mr. Holland and Mr. Poison to oppose him the Mayor would be in little danger of losing the seat for the party. I , ’ “CONTENTS NOTED.” .

.'The Prime Minister s : cutt reply I J. 'Vigor Brown’s ' telegranT con-'* ' vejfing 1 to him the resoiutibu' paiss’eif at E)r. - Thacker’s meeting in Napieit demanding the immediate resignation. 1 K ’ of the National Cabinet has given ri33 ' to a rumour that the doctor, who is a captain in the Reserve of Officers of the New Zealand Medical Corps, is to be tried by court-martial for having publicly criticised the actions of his superior officers. This, it is scarcely , necessary to say, is just what the doctor would like to happen. It would help him in his own constituency and would advertise him in the country beyond. But it seems highly improbable the authorities have any intention of assisting him in this fashion. Mr. Massey during recent years has learnt the value of brevity and “contents noted” seems in the circumstances as good a reply as any other that could have been sent lo Mr, Brown’s message. The Minister scarcely could have discussed sermusly the demand for the Cabinet’s resignation.

MINISTERS 1 RESPONSIBILITIES. Ministers have more important matters than the ebullitions of irresponsible members of Parliament to engage their attention just now. Dr. Thacker, though a little impetuous and not always tactful, has on occasions proved a very useful critic In the House, but he cannot expect the Government to accept a resolution to which he has persuaded a meeting in Napier as a vote of no-confidence by the country. Mr. Massey ana colleagues are now face to face with some of the biggest problems that have confronted them since the beginning of the war and it is hardly the time to make and unmake Government by the vote of an isolated public meeting. Criticism there ought to be, and doubtless there will be—much of it deserved—but to play heroics in the way they were played at Napier is only Adefeat the demand for reform.