THE AVESTLAND SEAT.

Press, Volume L, Issue 15140, 2 December 1914, Page 8

THE AVESTLAND SEAT.

INTERVIEW WITH MR PAAPE

y.r A. A. Paape, tho candidate in t!i(- Reform interest for tho Westland Foat.-cair.e down from the North Island yesterday , , and went across to tho Coast l>y tliß morning express. ltfierriiiL' to his candidature in oonwith a. '.'Press" representative yesterday morning, Mr Paape said that uiiiMi hn went down to the Coast district about three montlis ago it hecarr.o apparent that Mr J. A. Murdoch, a prominent Coaster, and the Mayor of Kuuiara, vran not unwilling to stand njiainst Mr T. E. Y. Seddon, and thero '■wiij a strong feeling in the district that ho should do so. A conference was held, and eventually Mr Murdoch agreed to stand, but he had einv'O reconsidered that decision, and Tvith-

drawn. "Because I am standing for the seat now," eaid Mr Paape, "it :e quite incorrect to say that the Government cannot get anyone else, for thero are at Jeast two gentlemen ready and willing to come lorward. 1 tio not wish it to be inferred that 1 consider I have the best chance because of my personality and ability, but it has resolved itself now into a question of party, and after mature consideration tho party considers that it would be advisable for mc to stand. The Government organisation on the Coast s a very strong and enthusiastic one now, and any candidate officially supported by tho party has a certainty of a good run. "The general position of.the Reform Party in the North Island has never been foetu-r than it is now. The organisation is strong and solid and confident. There 'is a certain amount of organisation among the Red Fed elerrent in Auckland, and it has evolved r» "squati oi about 200 men, who sy tematicaily follow the Government speakers round from meeting to meeting nnd endeavour to howl them down and create disorder. This does not count for much, though, I think, for tho Red Feds did the same thing for Mi Luke when standing for the Wei- , lii-gton .Mayoralty, and Mr Luke got 1.1.030 vote's to the lied Ferl candidate's 4000. My opinion is that the pi'tspeefcs of the Government are infinitely bettor than at the last election. The party is now properly organised. At the last election, there were 14 seats uncontested by the Government, now there, ie ~not a single uncontested seat, and our chief difficulty is not to get men to stand in the Reform interest, but to prevent them from doing i 0 ,."