The Timaru Herald WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 1926. THE EDEN BY-ELECTION.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 7 April 1926, Page 8

The Timaru Herald WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 1926. THE EDEN BY-ELECTION.

Nominations dosed yesterday-toi' tiio vacancy in tsbo- 'House oi JR ppnwe-nta lives caused, by the resignation of: the Member i'or Edrn, and already Hie campai.i>n is. iii- full swing. Earlier in. the contest it was ' antii'ipated ihao the by-election would resolve itself into a, • straight-out. fig'ht between t lie (xiivermnent Party and Lalumi". Mr George Forties (leader of tbe Nationalists) having* disappeared in ibe Cheviot • lulls, the' prospect of a" Candida!e. coming' forward to cany tin' banner of file so-called National Bhrty was never regarded seriously. Presumably Mr Forbes aud Ibe remnant of [lie once great Liberal Party dare> not. risk a (rial of: strength in the first by-election since flip, general election, notwithstanding 'be: plain fact, that if the Opposition cause should preail in Eden, tie result of the contest would be ly eject the Liberals' from the official Opposition tenches, and send the leader and,his rapidlv diminishing following info tin' political wilderness, if then the ] liberals ' have' 'silly following worth taking into aeecnnt. in the Eden electorate!, they must face, the alternative.* of either voting solidly for file official "Reform candidate or. support.iug ...1/ahour. If the Government ichains' the seat, Mr Coates's- • all-powerful following will be preserved .n----laet ; whereas, on the other hand, if Labour should succeed, owing lo a. split, in tbe Reform, vote, 1 labour’s Pai'liamenr.iry Early would supersede the Parly led by Mr George Forbes as the official Upposition. lienee it is inteiesting lo nolei I lie vigorous appeal being made by Labour to die electors of Eden to strengthen tin'. Opposition. Said Mr.'Mason, the Labour candidate,g’n opening his campaign: ( ;

One fact, as obvious as.a mountain, which no one could miss, phis Lho present enormous majority which lho Government had. No one with, any legard for reality could pass by that fact. 'With Mich a big majority, there woro. oertniu clement,s of danger. A strong Government called at once to mind tho necessity •- Tor .'-a '."strong Opposition. -Mr /Mason wished to point ; oht'tbat this by-election provided, an opportunity* of increasing the strength of the Opposition;. 'There were but a dozen or so Labour members ..in Hie House, and they, .required reinforcements, since', the stTain - p laved . upon them was too great. \Vhat was-re-quired was diminution _pf the, extreme disparity in the njuli'erical .strength of the parties. ’ •• -■

Doubtless the Liibom* Envly will make"'a big effort' t-’i capture Edon, but oiily the candidature of .Miss Melville gives Mr Holland and bis com cades anv leasoii lo liopo'tba.t"an electorate which has hitherto so wholeheartedly supported, the Party now led by I\lr Coates, is likely lo chon.se a Labour' member to succeed Sir J allies I J ll x. Nevertheless nothing is certain in these days of changing political non t iers. Moreover, Miss Melville's determination lo'challenge file selection of the Go venmienT Paity although investing (In* campaign with new interest., can hardly be said to strengthen the dinar:'.* of the official Labour candidate. .Much bus been mini by the .lmh'pon deni. Reform candidate regarding pledges, am! it is even claimed on her behalf that, she is not. bound by the pledge given to ihe Deform Party when the names if pi ospeeti ve candidates, seeking official endorerment as Government nominee were submitted to the

selofiivo: Imllol. Mi ss MolviUeV 1 I;'.’.v- given in her own Jiantltvi'li ill o‘, io l!\c org-imiMM* -of ‘ !k:i Kdnu 4 of the Now Zealand l’< lif-ic:'.!- llt'foi in iae-ao uo, is as follows: “f, M!on -Melville, to ofVer my.. tsoll as a caiiilidaie in ilio interests of ti)e NeJonn Poriy at the forthcoming i>y~('loct;o:i in i'iden, ini.viii”;. been retjiiisitio/UHi by a larire number o’ electors to a crept nomination. “I am wjlny; ttin 1 my name should !)e placed before Urn Selection (’ommil too nt tho Melon Hraneb on condition tbat: I am given the opportunity ol addressing flic Committee before the selection . takes place. “I am agreeable to leave the matter in Ibe liquids of tin* Committee for decision and to accept :uc!i decision, provided tbe selection of a candidate is carried out in accordance with tbe Constitution and liules of tbe "Reform ■League, and subject to Ibis proviso. I vill, il not selected, not be a candidate.”

Miss Melville .justifies her decision in contest, tins bv-oloclioii ’ 11 s].ite' of lii-i' jded.Li'c, 1 >_v conteiidiiifr flint tli.ooo were g'nive iiipo"..’lurilioK which irKeve hen- of Hie oblitl'iiiions j't'f (ini -ind implied m ilio I'leuln'e she siii'iie l. Wo have if on tlie. auflun it.y of '.he (ieiiei;il NbciHarv of the .New Zealand j’oliticnl .Reform liC-agi'e (Mr K. ,A. James), who was ] irese.n f it I thei ('onfei'ciice, that tlie (’on»titutum and rules of the .Reform I n'ui>iit' wen l .sfrieflv adhered, to, that, there were no irreo-uhi.i ilies in connection with tlie selection of deleii'ii fes const.! tilling the ('oiilevenro at flic inecUngsi held <liirin«- the previous week, and that the. ('on ferenco itself was earned out fairlv, impartially, and constitutionally. So far as (ho ('ontcri nee is coacm ned, he is su|i])oil('d in his statement ay •Mr IV. It. Leighton, (lie Vicel‘i esiih-at of the Kdon J!ranch i.f the. Keagme, who lopsided over the jiroci'crlings, ,\lr .l,ein;himt having piiMiicly declared, thal nothing- could have he on faiiei than the ]>iocediir-■ adopted. Despite these official replies to her allegations, Miss Melville persist; in hoi candidature, and her nomination for the vacancy converts what might otherwise have hoen a sti a igi: i-ou t fight Let ween (lie Re,form • lovenimeut and tli( v Socialists. ;iiio a hat lie helueoa united Kaboiir and disuiiihd Reform. rS’cvcitiiyless, the

northern critics'are confident that the official candidate will hold (he seat. But; the Labour Burly is moving its big .ulillery into (he battle-line, while Miss Melville, who is by no means a tyro in. electioneering tactics, -jj making a. big eff'oi I. to justify her candidature by a'. racting :t large measure of support to her banners. Less Ilian two week.-:' campa igni.ng- time .remains, aml marked liveliness in political circles may be expected as lho dav of decision draws nearer.