WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3350, 1 December 1919, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS

. THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN. WELLINGTON IN CIDEN TS. (Special Correupondeni.) ‘E -—.—-——— -WELLINGTON, Nov. 28. One of the surprises it‘ the local election campaign is the very successful debut made by Mr H. O:1k1ey Browne, the Liberal c;:mr.lid:zte for Wellington North, on We lnesduy evening. For six or seven years Mr Browne was private sec:-et.=u.-y to Sir Joseph Ward an-it quite I'<:_(:en_l;ly rcsigncd that position to take charge of the Liberal cr;_:ani_s:l’tion. For 51.1129. reason or :tno"cller ~p:'iV'al;e ;~:c-.-,-:-et:ni<.'—' in this country ’lit‘l-:..‘t') have not out ‘very brilliant figilres. when they he-rve mounted the plai;‘:'O‘.'vu :hemselve.<.=, but Mr Browne showed hiiiise‘-zf at once quite an fait at the business. The Labour camp 'i‘ol!.,'."Jcrs who crime to, heekle the c::«llld‘.x".:ie remained to listen and even to :’-.pplaud. Mr 81-owne is not merely an echo of his oldlcliief. He has ideas and aspirations of his own which he states clearly and convincingly. Previously his caiiditlature had been taken scarcely seriously, but now he is right in the running for the seat. A WELLINGTON CENTRAL. The position in Wel?lng':on Central is hardly so encouraging for the Liberals. Their candidate, Mr Pirani,, is engaged in nightly bozzts with the Labour sharp-shooters, and tlloug‘l he meets them with all the slgill and fire of an experienced campaigner they manage to maintain a running fire of interruptions -that must be e:-;trenlely discon.-zei-ting even to an old -hand. A day or two ago a proposal was put for‘vvard that Mr Carr, a well konwn _commcl‘ci9.l gentleman who presidexi

. with admirable tact at M 1“ Bl'OWll9’S meeting, should take Mr Pirani.'S place, but naturally there were obpections to changing horses -at this stage in the campaign and Mr Pirani, full of oDtimism and determination as he is, insisted uponmcom-pleting his task. "015 course if the Reformers unanimously threw in their lot with the Liberals against Labour his success would be assured, but that would be rather much to expect in these times. WELLINGTON SOUTH. In Wellington South Mr Robert Semple and Colonel Mitchell are en-A gaged in what promises to be a veryll close fight. The sitting member __iSl seen to greater advantage on the pub- I lie platform than he was in the House “ and he is sure to poll considerably more votes than he did at the by-elec-tion which gave him the seat. But the returned soldier———returned with many honours-—is a very worthy opponent. He has a good grasp ‘of politics, an easy manner of speech and; a charming -personality. Here again,’ the result will depend largely upon I the"attitude of the Reformers and the unoflicial Labourites. Colonel Mitchell inclines strongly towards the doctrine of independence and if party feeling is not too strong for him he will win. : OTHER CONSTITUENCIES. Dr Newman, another of the- “old dogs” proverbially Well adapted for the compass of a hard road, looks“ much less hardly pressed than he was at the election of 1914. Though loyal; to his party, so_ far as the occupancy of the Treasury Benches is concerned, he crticises Mr Massey quite as freely as he does Sir Joseph Ward and for years past has voted in the House as his convictions carry him. In Wellington Suburbs Mr R. A. VVright is opposed by a very vigorous -and capable ”'Liberal, with sane Labour tendencies, in Mr Dunbar Sloans, and though the odds are in his favour his opponent is occasioning his friends some anxiety. l\lrT. M. Wilford has a -stronghold on the Hutt seat, the result of family traclitions and long association, but he is encountering at young active opponent and is sure to} he run fairly close. Q