THE GENERAL ELECTION

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 24020, 7 August 1943, Page 4

THE GENERAL ELECTION

* CHRISTCHURCH EAST SEAT NATIONAL PARTY CANDIDATE SELECTED The official National Party candidate for the Christchurch East seat held by Miss Mabel Howard is Mr R. G. Brown, a member of the Christchurch City Council. Mr Brown’s selection has been confirmed by the Dominion Council of the party. Mr Brown, who was born in Kaiapoi, lives in the Christchurch East electorate. He is chairman of the baths and entertainments committee of the City Council, and a member of the works, water supply, reserves, milk, and abat-

toir committees. He worked in the woollen mills at Kaiapoi and later was in business in the town. During that period he played a prominent part in the development of the Pines-Kairaki Beach seaside reserves, and was associated with charity and patriotic concert organisations. For eight years Mr Brown was employed in the Railways Department. He served in the Army during the last war, but did not go overseas. Mr Brown is a member of the Metropolitan Patriotic Committee, and many other public bodies in Christchurch. He was joint organiser of the recent United Nations Fair and is well known in bowling and sporting circles. He has also had much to do with the welfare of the brass, pipe, and harmonica bands of the city. MAORI CANDIDATE’S WITHDRAWAL Mr Te Ari Pitama. whose candidature for the Christchurch East seat at the General Election as a supporter of the Democratic Soldier Labour Party has been withdrawn, because, as a three-quarter caste Maori, he is unable to stand, said yesterday that he wished to make his position clear to electors. “It is certainly anomalous to find that, when Maoris, whatever percentage of Maori blood they might possess, are fighting overseas on a basis of perfect equality,” said Mr Pitama, “that a member of the race, who is more than half-caste, cannot stand for a pakeha seat.” A revision of the electoral law, he added, was long overdue. “The Labour Party, as far back as 1935, promised an electoral roll for the Maori people,” he said. “That promise has not been kept, and it is another injustice to the Maori race which should be removed.” Mr Pitama said he hoped that those Christchurch East electors who had assured him of support would understand that his withdrawal from the contest had been made necessary by the existing law. NATIONAL CANDIDATE FOR GISBORNE (P.A.) GISBORNE. August 6. Mr A. H. Barker was last night selected as the National Party candidate to contest the Gisborne seat at the forthcoming General Election. Other nominees who went into the ballot were Lieutenant-Colonel C. A. D. Blackburn, at present on furlough from the Middle East, and Major E. R. Black, M.C. Mr Barker, who for the last eight years has been editor of the Gisborne “Herald,” resigned from that position in order to enter the selection ballot. THREE CANDIDATES FOR WALLACE (P.A.) INVERCARGILL, August 6. Three candidates are in the field for the Wallace seat at the General Election as a result of an announcement that -Mr Patrick J. McMullan, of Invercargill, who recently returned to civil life after service as a pilot in the Royal New Zealand Air Force overseas. will contest the seat as an Independent candidate. The other candidates are the Hon. Adam Hamilton (National) and Mr J. J. Lynch (Labour). Mr McMullan, who is 25 years of age. is Customs officer on the staff of an Invercargill firm. SEED-TESTING STATION FOR CANTERBURY URGED * From Our Parliamentary Reporter WELLINGTON, August 6. The opinion of Canterbury growers that there was undue delay in having tp send seeds to Palmerston North to be certified was expressed in the House of Representatives to-day by Mr D. C. Kidd (Opposition. Waitaki). He said Canterbury was the most important small seed district in New Zealand, and asked if the Minister would consider the establishment of a, seed-test-ing station at Timaru. \