POLL TO-MORROW.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 128, 2 June 1939, Page 9

POLL TO-MORROW.

CHRISTCHURCH SOUTH

THE CAMPAIGN REVIEWED

PARTIES' DIFFERENT TACTICS

(By Telegraph.— Own Correspondent.) CHRISTCHIRCH. this day. Chrietchurch South must give it* decision to-morrow in the Parliamentary by-election caused by the death iif Mr." E. .'. Howard, who was Chairman of Commit too* in the la-t Parliament. Its choice lie.-: between the National candidate. Mr. M. V- Lymi-. and the Labour candidate, Mr. K. M. Maicfarlane. The general opinion in the city is that tlu> seat will remain true to its radical tradition, and tii.it victory for Mr. Macfarlain? is a*«ured. though tlierc i> considerable speciiiatimi as to whether in - not Mr. Lyons wiil succeed in iiiiMeiij-iiif; tin' vote cast ""'' hi- puny at the p.'tiera! i lection hi-t Octol)cr. Electors of Cliristelimvh South lir-i gave their vote in preference tor iho policy of the Labour party in l'.'l'.i, tiic year w lien Mr. Howard lirsi entered Parliament. Mr. Howard was returned at successive elections from that t i :iuonward*, and in tiie la>t election iu , contested ho secured !K<."> votes i-tit \>f ii total poll of 1:'. , .!!■.">. His opponent on that occasion wa- Mr. YVx'd. a son hi the late Sir Joseph W.ir.l. Mr. Ward's vote was "S!>o. and ii ithe hope of the National party that the present candidate. Mr. Lynn*, will l.e aide to improve on those, tigurer-. Crowded Attendances. With its total of ir>.iH".l constituents. I tho electorate ha< been the political I foeai point of the Domini.hi during i h> , past three week;-. On the eve of the liy-election the ity rinds itself not in any state of feverish excitement, but philosophically awaiting the announcement of the result.

The meetings that iiave lx>en held do not provide any reliable guide as to how the electorate intend- to vote. Hoth candidates um e'.aiin thi>t they have been favoured with crowded attendances at all their meeting-, but close, ob.-erveis have noted that the .-aine crowd l.acrowdod each meeting. As was the ca.-e in the general election, the i-ilent voter will be the ]ii'C(loiuinating factor in tomorrow's poll.

Both candidates have been !>efore the public for many years. ;;ud neither is p.pw to the political front line. Mr. Mac- ; Farlane i- Mayor of Christ church, and; has twice contested the Christehurch | North T-cat against the N'ational | member, Mr. S. (I. Holland. Hi- oppon-' cut. Mr. Inn du hi- fil-t attempt ! to enter Parliament iu l!'2"i. Tn that | vear he conl e-U'<! the I.yttelt.,ll -cat | aj>iiiu>t the late Mr. J. McConibs. In' that re.-pei-t Uo made politic,]] hi-lory. I for on the de«-laration of tiie | ollicer he was elected to the House, and i for a short period drew the salary of a ' member of Parliament, only to find himself unseated by the decision of an electoral court. which upheld a petition placed before it liy Mr. Mr-Combs. Selection Upset. The Court found that certain electors who had \otod for Mr. Lynns wore resident in an adjoining electorate, and I therefore their votes were invalid.

Last year Mr. Lyons was selected to contest the Mid-Canterbury seat for the Xalional parly, but on 'this occasion had the unusual experience of finding his .-election upset, and Mr. A. N\ (Tri ■>•_'; chosen as the oflicial candidate. lit" J Grig|l "on tiio seat from the Labour member. Mr. H. E. Herring. Mr. Lyons was again willing to stand to in the riling line when the call was made by the National party for a candidate to contest the Christehurch South br-eJeetion. The single-handed fight he made against tho full forces of Labour j during the campaign iu the past three weeks its one of the most spectacular as well as one of the most ambition? efforts made by a candidate in a Parliamentary election for many year*. IVclinin- an offer of as-i-tance'. Mr. Lyons lias put up a mo~t creditable showing ..ii hi, own. and he will have the Pati.-fa.ti.n of knowing that the! votes ca-t in t-,.,,,0! row's poll in his j favour were won by him and him alone. 1 Size Of Majority. One of tho most remarkable features of the campaign has been the concentration in the electorate of the Labour party's mo.st forceful and influential speakers. From the outlet the Labour party made no secret of its intentions. It was not concerned so much with actual victory ae with the size of the majority it might obtain. Realising that the result of the by-election uiisht easily become one of the strong talking points in Mi* eomine addres«-in-I reply debate in the Howe, the Labour party wns prepared to spare no cx]«?nse to obtain a clear-cut result.

The Deputy-Leader of the House of Representatives, the Hon. P. Fraser, was chosen to open the campaign, and to '•lose it the viarty selected its leader, the Prime Minister. Following Mr. Fraser and preceding Mr. Savage were The Minister of Public , Works, the lIo M . R. Semple. the Minister of Hou-ing. the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, the Mini-ter of Industries and Commerce, the Hon. D. (1. Sullivan, and the Minister of Labour, the Hon. P. C. Webb. Rather Overdone? Some observers take the view that the Labour party, which generally handles its campaign with considerable skill, ha* rather overdone things on this occasion. The elTe.it of the importation of five member* of Cabinet, pin- three ab'e member.* <"<f Parliament. Mes-r-. .7. A. Leo. T. Thorn and Dr. D. fi. McMillan. ha« been to more or less obliterate the identity of its candidate.

Mr. Macfarlnne. instead of being the most prominent ficrnre in the campaign, has actually bpcome it- least con-ju.-u----ous. Certainly on tin* oeea«ion party interest* have been studied before those of the individual.

The National party entered the byelection on thr- assumption that bis change* had been made in the political situation of tho country since the general election ia.-t October, and he-cau-f, it believed that the time had come for a review of the situation generally. Labour took a different view, and contested the issue on precisely the same lines a= tho-e before the eler-to. • in October. Social e ecurity was apnin the basi= of Labour policy, wink criticism of the Act now on the Statute Book was the main theme of the Xationnl party candidate.