THE TARANAKI SEAT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 24 April 1907, Page 2

THE TARANAKI SEAT.

CAXJJIHATES AND KUMOKS 01'' f MORE. Already considerable interest is being manifested iu the live-election to Jill tin- vacancy caused by' tile death of.Mr E. .M. Smith,'M.ll.R. The matter was mentioned ti> tlie Acting-Premier during his visit to Now Plymouth, lint he has mil yet, ill' course, selecleil (In; Coverninent candidate. The elaiins ~,l .Messrs. C. E. " llellringer, and W. (I. Malone are under- -' stood to lie under consideration. '' 'l'lie late member, of euurse, was the v Goveri moiit nominee, ami considerable * interest attaches tu tiie selection ol' the l! Government candidate on tliis occasion. I .Messrs. liellrillgcr and .Malone are de- ' iinitely "out'' on the Government side. '■' and 11. .). 11. Okey once mure tries as the ' straight-out Oppositionist, .Mr. C. 'l'. .Mills, who had also been "mentioned," said he had at present no intention whatever of offering liinise'.i I'm election. Rumor i* a'l-o busy with the n.iiiif* of Messrs. 10. Dockrill (Mayor of .\e« I'lymoiilli), and .). B. Roy, but nothing dc'iiuite is vet known. 'l'lie latter is nol looked uimii as a likely candidate. It 1slaied that .Messrs. .1. C. Smith and S. li. Smith, sons of the late member, have been approached, and ill many quarters it is confidently asserted that one or other of them will come forward in the Liberal interests. We are iu a position to contradict tie: rumor that .Mr. \V. 'l', .Jennings, J1.11.1t., intended to contest this seat. Mr. C. E. liellringer who stood as a Liberal at tin- last general cleclMi. and ' polled between 800 and (100 votes, war seen by a News reporter, lie said definitely that he would contest the sea'. . Asked :is to his«views, lie said he would . support the Government generally, and i on a want-of-confidence motion, vote with them unless the land tenure were I made the test question, when he would oppose anything but the optional sysI tern. He would go further, and in the direction of deferred payment system. ,' He believed in the limitation of area, \ was dead against any system which en- . couraged speculation in Crown lands, . and favored a system which would en- , courage liona-liile settlement. ... .Mr W. (1. Malone seen by our reporter, : , did not care to make, at this stage, a i public announcement, beyond the fact that he would contest the scat against all-comers, this being in pursuance of .a ten-year-old resolution to enter politics, d lie announces himself us a Liberal of ■■- long-standing with democratic tendene cies, mid does most of his own thinking. r He is a staunch freeholder, believing in i the optional tenure. He, however, bo- - licves in reasonable endowments being i- set aside for hospitals and old age pen■i. sions, etc. Air. Malone served for three li years in the. Armed Constabulary duru ing the To Whiti trouble. Then lie look a to hush fanning, which he carried on d for 12 years in the then back blocks o( ,d Stratford. He still farms with a partner >c a considerable area of back bush land, ie and claims to be a practical worker, n 'l'lie writ, will be issued as soon as posit sible after the Governor (or the Speaker) t- has been notified by telegram of the is registration of the denth of the late 'd member, and the writ is returnable in ie twenty-one days thereafter.

A meeting oi' the Political Reform League was lickl at Xcw I'lyniouth last night for the purpose of selecting a candidate to stand in the Opposition interest nt the coming bye-election, Before commencing the business of the evening, a unanimous vote of sympathy to the widow and family of the late' Mr. E. M. Smith was carried, and the secretary was instructed to convey the

same to Mrs. Smith. Jn discussing the question of candidates, it was unanimously decided to request Mr. Harry Okey to contest the seat, and, as Mr. Okey consorted, a strong committee, with power to add to its number, was set up. All of the committee pledged themselves to do their utmost to secure his return. Mr. Okey's programme will be issued shortly.