WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 February 1918, Page 8

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Til K ISY-JCLICCTION. ;xy::.\m-: interest iSpeciai Correspondent). Wellington, Feb. KS. The .'unl"s| in Wellington North is exciting more iuteresd ;in<l creating more I'ctuiiiiiiion limn luis siiiy by-election for many n long day. Mr .1. I'. Luke, tin: nfiicinl Xalii>n;s! Government candidate, iind iir- II K. Holland, the Labor nominee. are tin l principal figures in the struggle, Imt Mi' A de li. Brandon, Independent Reformer, and Mi. A. K. Polson, Independent liberal, are obtaining their share in the limelight, and there is a growing fear among orthodox people that by detaching voles from the official candidate these two gentlemen may help "Mr. Holland into Parliament. Neither of them is making a very brave show in his platform addresses, and Mr. Polson is handicapped by the too obtrusive ■ patronage of Dr Thaeker, but the National Government is no more popular in Wellington than Governments usually are in the capita! city, and Mr. Luke is very far from neing a persona grata in this particular constituency. MINISTERIAL APPEALS. In the opinion of many of his friends Mr. Massey is making a mistake in eniering upon !l personal controversy, with Mr. Holland in regard to various issues that have been raised [luring the eontest,. but tlic? Prime Minister iii in the unfortunate position of having to assist a candidate who cannot take the whole burden of the light upon his own shoulders Mr. Luke, both as Mayor and as a private citizen, has done a l»t of very excellent war work, and 011 this account he will receive support from a number of electors who have 110 sympathy with his politics: but his parliamentary record, lor 011 c reason and another, is not a very impressive one, and patriotism is a virtue which both the vote-splitters can claim. Mr. Massey puts the position quite fairly when lie says the electors have to pronounce an opinion upon the war policy and administration of the Government, but this does not help Mr Luke against Mr. Brandon or Mr. Poison. HOIST WIT IT niS OWN PETARD. TluM'e can be 110 doubt that if Mr. Luke were contesting the seat against any one of the other three candidates in the field his success would lie assured. The only danger confronting him now in that a number of electors wishing to '•give the Government a fright" or to pay oil' some old party score, will cast their votes for Mr. Brandon or Mr. Poison, without any expectation or hope of returning their candidate, and so let Mr. Holland slip in between the disunited supporters of military serviceIf the second -ballot were still in existence there would not bo the slightest I'hance of this occurring, and, of course, Mr. Massey is being reminded that he is responsible for the removal from the Statute Book of a measure which would have saved him from much anxiety Just now. The second ballot was open to many objections, but in its clumsy way it at least secured the representation of majorities THE OUTCOME. Hie statement attributed to Mr. MasKey that the return ot any other candidate than Mi Luke would lead to an early dissolution of the House and a general election is not taken seriously here. It is true that the success of Mr. Poison would place the old Reform Government and the old l.iberal-Lnboi Opposition 011 an equality so far as numbers were concerned thirty-eight on each side—but these parly divisions are no longer existent, and it never would oepur to Sir Joseph Ward or to anyone of consequence among his supporters to take advantage of ,-iicli a mishap to the Prime Minister's schemes to revive the old party lines. Mr. Brandon is pledged to support the National Government, and Mr. Holland is a reed on whom 110 leaner ivould care to lean. The defeat of Mr. Luke, which is not, among the probabilities of the contest, would not bring about, a political crisis.