WESTLAND SEAT

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25306, 4 October 1947, Page 10

WESTLAND SEAT

NAMES OF POSSIBLE CANDIDATES From Our Own Reporter GREYMOUTH, October 3. There has been much speculation on tne We it Coast about a likely successor to Mr J. O’Brien for the Westland seat in Parliament, which is consiaered one of the safe Labour Party seats. Four or five possible candiaates have been mentioned. There is little doubt that Mr Frank Chivers will again stand for the National Party in opposition to the Labour candidate. It has been stated that a leading ’person in the industrial movement has signified his intention of standing as an unofficial Labour candicate, and making it a three-cor-nered contest if a Labour candidate from any other place than Westland contests the seat.

It is understood that, if approved, Mr Chivers will agree to his nomination going forward as the National Party candidate.

Names of likely candidates mentioned include Mr W. J. Butler, a former organiser of the Labour Party, who this week took up his duties with the ‘Grey River Argus.” He was engaged in newspaper work in Greymouth and New Plymouth before serving with the armed forces in New Zealand during the war. Other names are Mr Mark Wallace, chairman of the Westland Land Sales Committee, a member of the Westland County Council and a well-known Koiterangi farmer in the Hokitika district; Mr James B. Kent, an old Labour stalwart and a prominent member * of Greymouth local bodies for a long period, a former president of the Greymouth Labour Party branch, and a close associate of Mr O’Brien; Mr Patrick Blanchfield. Deputy-Mayor of Greymouth and formerly president of the Greymouth branch of the Labour Party; and Mr E. W Heenan, a Hokitika businessman, who is prominent in local body politics, a member of the Westland Hospital Board, and chairman of the Greymouth Harbour Board.

Officials of the local Labour Party are reluctant to name a possible candidate, and say that it is a matter for constituent party branches of the Westland Labour Representation Committee to submit names of suitable candidates for selection. The byelection will probably be held towards the end of .next month. At the last General Election Mr O’Brien had an absolute majority of 4676 over his opponent. Mr Chivers. He polled 9043 votes and Mr Chivers polled 4367.