FARNELL SEAT.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19888, 27 March 1930, Page 10

FARNELL SEAT.

MR JENKINS A RECRUIT TO REFORM. WILL GO TO SELECTION BALLOT [THE PBEBB Special Service.] AUCKLAND, March 20. Mr H. R. Jenkins, who resigned the Parnell seat in the House of Eepresentatives on Friday, has joined the Reform League, and has intimated his willingness to abide by the result of the ballot by which the official Reform candidate will be selected. Thus, if Mr Jenkins is not chosen as the official Reform candidate by the conference of delegates to be convened for that purpose, he will not be a candidate at the by-election. At the back of Mr Jenkins's decision is a desire to bring about a union of the Reform and United Parties against Labour. In an interview this evening Mr Jenkins recalled that shortly after resigning his seat he intimated that unofficial overtures had been made to him by members of the Reform Party. He had said then that if the overtures were sufficiently pressing he would consider standing in the interests of the Reform Party. If not, ho would stand as an Independent Reform candidate, or a straight-out Independent. "When I made that statement I was not aware that it was necessary to belong to the Reform League in order to be the official candidate," said Mr Jenkins. "If I had known that I would not have made the earlier statement. Since then several friends in the Reform Party have urged me to join the Reform League, and they hope I will be selected as the Party's choice. I feel that I could do more to bring about a fusion against Labour if I were in the Reform Party than if I were an_ Independent. It sepms to me that the House an Independent member is a voice crying in the wilderness. He does a lot of talking, whereas if he belonged to a Party he would devote his time to having his Party's measures passed. "I feel, also, that Reform is the safest of the three Parties because Reform will never be dictated to by Labour as the United Party has been. The Reform Party would sooner gc to the country than go into the same lobby as Labour, but the United Party has shown that it will hot do that. As the Parties now are, it is likely that more drastic legislation will be passed than if Labour were in power, because under the present circumstances Labour does not have to take responsibility for such legislation. "In joining the Reform League I have intimated that I am prepared to submit myself to the selection ballot, by which the Party's official candidate is chosen," added Mr Jenkins. "I wag a Reformer in the first place, and it was Mr O. Moller who urged me to stsnd for the United Party. He was also a Reformer, and be has now left the United Party. Friends of mine have now urged me to come out for the Reform cause and for the country generally. and I have agreed. Some will criticise me and say this is the only time I have lacked independence, but I have taken this step for the reasons I have explained."