THE GREASY POLL

MORE Of THE CLIMBERS

Politics! Possibilities and Probabilities

TAKE YOUR PICK AND CAST YOUR VOTE

An apology is due to readers of { "Truth" for the marked shortage of I pins last week, but .since then a full packet has been obtained and the system of picking constituencies vto talk about by the simpie means of jabbing a map blindfold, eliminating re- jabs, and then discussing the several candidates can be followed till all the map is pricked with holes. Let us away. PAHIATUJA, A. McNicol, the Reform , momber, polled 2775 votes last time and 3745 were registered against Him, but there ■were then two candidates opposed to him, Liberal and Labor. To-day there is no Labor candidate and there is to be a straight go between McNicol and E. A. Ransom,, ten yeT.rs Mayor of Dannevirke. He carries the earmarks of progressive Liberalism, and is well and favourably known as a good sort with a punch. Looks like a rather easy win for the Opposition, but '{even Tom Wilford would not take his;oath on it. He'd bet on it, tnough, m all probability. MASTERTON. G. R. Sykes, who stood as Independent Reform last tmi.e rattled up 2444 votes, while 4621 went against him, all others added up; a minority represenative if you like. There- were four candidates that time. This time there are to be three: Sykes, A. C. Holms (Independent Liberal, and' runner-up last election) and) F. C. Evans (Labor). In the town of Masterton any one of three might head the toll, ,but the climbing outside is apt to be slippery for any of them, though Holms seems to be getting the longest measure of support just now, for even some of the dairy farmers have switched over from Sylces to him. Sir Walter Buchanan will have some job to save Sykes. GISBORNE, Here there is to be a i.hree J cornered scrap between W. D. Lysnar (Reform) , .G. Wildish (Liberal-Laoor) 1 , and T. Brindle'' (Labor). Lysiiar polled 3041 last' time and 4980 were addedi up against him, but they were divided between A Liberal-Labor and Labor and will he again.- Lysnar'j stock has not gone up, neither has Massey's, so no one can .predict the poll vl the Reform candidate. But if either Labor or Liberal had a straight-r-ut go at it there would be a cake walk with loud and pleasing music for someone. • WAIRARAPA. ' # There was another tx-f angle m. ■ the Wairarapa, too, last election, AS T>. MGLeod (Reform) reaching the top wi& 3266 votes,, while Hornsby and Danahey could scrape up only 2914 between them. This tune John Card, Mayor of Featherston, is tackling him on his own, and on present showings - no one would care to risk x a very long •bet on .either. It is a fifty-fifty seat. BAY OF PLENTY. Ken. Williams, the present Reform' man, has so far ho opponent, but he probably will have one from the ! Opotiki end. He will take a lot of beating, not because he knows extra j much about politics, but because he is a good sort. It is a queer thing •that that part of N.Z. has more than once provided spectators with fine exhibitions of walk-overs, for instance, Sir James Carroll and Ngata. Politics ■differ from hoss-'acing m respect of.. walk-overs^ for the politician gets full stakes and the 'horse but.! half. / . WAIT/OMO. That old warhorse, and hardy perennial, Bill Jennings, a Liberal stalwart if there ever was one, who has just moved into Vigor Brown's seat m the front benches of the Opposition, will fight Reform J. Rpl.eston. Bill has been such a splendid backblocks member and advocate of local wants that it looks as if It would take four Taupo earthquakes to shift him an inch. Waitomo 'must be a hearty breaking district, for a new man, for It, stretches put from Te Kulti to W.aitara. Would take :i fast mover three months to see the country, let alone : stop a by the waytiide to shake hands with all the likely voters on his' behalf. . ; HAWKES BAY. , ■/ ■ Gilbert McKay, Liberal -Labor, is standing against General Russell, Independent Reform, whatever that may be. There is only one man against Russell this time, and the chances are •—not for Reform. ' 1 .■ '■■ '/^'NAPIER. Vigor Brown, who stood as a Libferal last time and refused : to recogntso TomWilfbrdl as leader" when the New Party w.as formed, walked over to the Reform • benches on a. Tuesday and took his seat with Prohibitionist Malcolm, but maybe it is his last . serious error before his political decease. The Liberals of Napier won't stand for that sort of thing. A.. E. Jull, chairman of the Napier Harbour Board, an Independent who carried the Liberal banner almost to victory against Sir George' Hunter m "W&ipawa, will ' reap the benefit of Vigor Brown's somersault. The, Massey Party now. contains TOgor Brown, Vernon TSeed, T» W« .Rhodes, Tv\ H. Field and Sir John Xitike who got into Parliament through Seddon and later "rattou," It mustlie.noticed that none of these men gain office, though votes are always tvotes. OHINEMTJHI. Hugh Poland, Independent Liberalr JLabor, the greatest autnoriti 1 on pensions and pensions law iiv Parliaxnent, stands again for Ohinemuri. He is at present opposed by Reform In .the person of Colonel Allen and a / member of the Country Party m the person of Cap+am j Colbeck-r-terrible lot of titles up that way, though really it is quite peaceful — but the Cap'nwill. likely enough pull out shortly and leave the scrap to Poland and Allen. In a bullet and bayonet fight, maybe, the Colonel would have our backing, but. as it is we have asked for three tickets on Hugh P. KAIPARA. Hon. J. G. Coatea, "Cocksure" "Coates, as the rude bjys m Parliament call him for ready reference, had a big majority last time, and will have almost as big a majority this time, too. X No offence, Mr. R. E. Hornblow, that's our opinion. . AUCKLAND CENTRAL. W. E. Parry (Labor) is to put on the gloves m a straight-out go with Albert Edward, the man who christened Auckland the Queen City of • the North. (He probably would not have done it if he had realised how the name would stick). Albert Edward was' beaten last time and has spent a good part of the three years working for a .place again. He is something of a house-to-house worker, thorough.all right, and on present indications there is nothing much either way. BXJLIiER. On paper Harry Hol.ancb is 1 a certainty for Buller. Ju3t at the moment of writing he is opposed by Menzies, Mayor of W^stportj who calls himself an. Independent Reform. It "does not look -as if h3 will beat the 'voluble Harry, but there perhaps is another man m the district, one H..R. , Young, who has been helping miners m coal production and what-not along co-operative lines, who wouM

" have a big backing if he announced himself. US Menzies ccild see some reasonable reason to stand down a*, -mighty interesting go between Holland- and . Young would likely enough come to hand. If Mr. Menzies has^ any chances they will be found about Westport and Cobden. PARNELL J. S. Dickson (Reform), who got away with a big majority last election, is opposed by another Reformer by the, name of Wren, and a Labor man as well. This seat is not seriously threatened at present, but there are rumours of a strong man to come and joust with the lot of them. Perhaps WUUiani Noton. might be that man, but there is nothing too definite to go on at this minute. " WELLINGTON CENTRAL. Peter Fraser reckons that belongs to him and Labor for to have and to hold quite indefinitely. He can probably beat W. H. Bennett round the corner ? along*- the straight, and take a rest before trotting to the tape. (Actually this is a greasy poll climbing competition, bu^what Is written is written). The Independent Reformer will probably not be there when the crowd cheers. So far no Liberal man has been settled upon, but there are a lot of Liberally-minded folk m Central and also a lot of moderate Laborites.^PThere is talk of A. B. Sievwright standing. He is a. speaker of parts

and pretty, good on platform work, and if W. H. B. stood aside and saved nomination money Sievwright and Fraser would get to grips m great style. There would be remarks u> pass about Wellington Central m that event. & WELLINGTON EAST. Tom . Forsyth carries the Reform banner with his usual portly tread, i and /there is no doubt i'hat later on he- will put down that banner and start fighting out and m clinches witlv" Colonel* McDonald. The Colonel is a hard hitter who will impress the people with political ammunition and great guns ;of all sorts. Monteith, for. Labor, has tried before and failed. Mrs. Annie McVicar, of City Council fame; will get some votes if she stays right away from platform work, but if she does she won't, and the votes she will get (if she stays away from the platform) Tom Forsyth will lose. Of course, she was persuaded by a very hefty requisition, and may harbor the happy id«a all who signed the requisition Will z'ecord their blue peneillings m hec\ favor. Alas, 'tis \not always so m politics. The man who votes for you 'is the man who, does vote for you not the fellow, or his wife, who says that he, or she, is going to. Down m Timaxu the other day a lady signed an Electric Power Board petition with the idea that she was "signing an electoral roll of some sort. She was satisfied, so were the other people. No, wa can't pick Wellington East at all. The genial little doctor who has given up the, seat after so many years had a host of personal friends 'who would vote for him*, because ha was him, but. that vote is going to he split up m all; sorts of ways this time. Generally speaking, electioneering is still pretty casual as far as outside appearances go, but the public scratch Its collective head and the .party kings have given over preliminary scratchings ' and i:ave settled down to campaign plotting 1 . The ■oh season is about flue. . THAMES. Mr. W. A. Allen, ,of Coromandel, who farms his own freehold at Manaia, m the Thames const'tuency, will be heard of before this contest is over. I He is a man of parts, and, like most North Countrymen of the Old Land", is born a Liberal and wi'l die one. He is .starting a warm campaign against T./W. Rhodes, who got into Parlia--ment as a Liberal and then slid to •Massey after the Liberals hacV returned him. As a county councillor m the •west riding- of Yorkshire and a member of the Board of Guardians oi; that riding Mr. Allan has had valuable public experience m service. He has also served as .a member of the West Riding Education Board and as a ; district ■ actuary cf tne Yorkshire Penny Bank. He has m the Old Country and m this country since his permanent residence here been a real friend of the worker and will poll many votes of those who stand for constitutional methods. Torn- Wilford, -too, i.the leader of the Liberal-Labor Party, whose parents are Yorkshire born, though a New Zealander first, is a Yorkie m sentiment and thought.