GENERAL ELECTION

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23248, 7 February 1941, Page 10

GENERAL ELECTION

. ♦ —— NATIONAL PARTY BUSY PREPARING PROCEDURE FOR SELECTION OF CANDIDATES (PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) WELLINGTON, February 6. “Throughout New Zealand the whole of: the National Party organisation is now busy with preparations for the forthcoming General Election,’ said the Leader of the Opposition (Mr S. G. Holland), in an interview to-night after his return to Wellington from a visit to the Taranaki, Rangitikei. and Manawatu districts. It was hoped to have the selection of candidates completed by the end of March, because of varying conditions in different places, more particularly in rural centres, this might not be possible in every case, Mr Holland said. Wherever the National Party was not represented by the sitting member today the procedure was that first of all nominations of prospective candidates were invited from all members of the party in the electorate. Every financial member was then entitled to vote at a subsequent selection ballot to choose the candidate from those nominated. Discussing his tour, Mr Holland said that everywhere he spoke he had very big audiences. He was impressed with the growing support for the National Party, and there was universal approval of the party’s decision to prepare for the next election, seeing that the Government had refused to form a National Government. As the use of the State radio services was available only to the Government spokesmen, his party had no alternative but to express its views to the public by means of the public platform and the newspapers.