LABOUR'S CHOICE.
PREPARING FOR ELECTION.
GREY LYNN AND CITY EAST
MR. LEE AND MR. SCHRAMM. Tho selection of Mr. J. A. Leo as the Labour candidate in Grey Lynn and of Mr. F. W. Schramm as the Labour candidate in Auckland East was announced yesterday by Mr. F. K. Martin,"secretary of tho local Labour Representation Committee. Roskill is now tho only Auckland scat for which the party has not announced its choice, the result of tho inquiry held following the taking of the ballot not having been made public. Toward the end of last year the Labour Party invited nominations for the 10 city seats, and in seven instances only one nomination was received. In the cases of Auckland East, Grey Lynn and Roskill, however, selection ballots were necessary. It has been unofficially known for some weeks that Mr. Schramm had won the Auckland East ballot, but the official announcement was delayed, pending an inquiry into tho position in Grey Lynn. Mr. Lee, a former member for Auckland East, had been nominated both for his old seat and for Grey Lynn. As Mr. F. N. Bartram, formerly member for (.srev Lynn, was also seeking endorsement for his old seat, tho Grey Lynn ballot was invested with unusual interest. It is understood that Mr. Lee defeated Mr. Bartram, his principal rival, by only a handful of votes. Tho point was then raised that, had the Auckland East ballot been decided first, Mr. Lee would have succeeded there, thus leaving a clearer field for Mr. Bartram in Grey Lynn. The Labour Representation Committee, however, had decided that the ballots should be taken in the order in which the party's chances in tho various electorates were deemed brightest, and tho Grey Lynn selection was accordingly made first. There was a considerable feeling in Labour circles in favour of the order of ballot being decided by lot, and it is understood a final decision was invoked from the party's national headquarters in Wellington. The position in Roskill was somewhat similar to that in Grey Lynn. It is understood Mr. A. S. Richards, the party's candidate in 1928, tied in the ballot with Mr. J. Toole, a prominent member of the Tramwaymen's Union. An inquiry into the voting at tho ballot has been held, but no decision has been announced. The sitting member for Auckland East is the Hon. J. B. Donald, PostmasterGeneral, while Mr. J. S. Fletcher, an independent member, represents Grey Lynn. Mr. Schramm unsuccessfully contested the Hamilton seat against Mr. J. A. Young (Reform) in 1928.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19310117.2.94
Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20774, 17 January 1931, Page 12
Word Count
424LABOUR'S CHOICE. New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20774, 17 January 1931, Page 12
Using This Item
NZME is the copyright owner for the New Zealand Herald. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons New Zealand BY-NC-SA licence . This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of NZME. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Auckland Libraries and NZME.