Election fever building?

Press, 9 November 1978, Page 1

Election fever building?

By

PHILIP WORTHINGTON

Concern, interest, participation; the vital election campaign builds into fever pitch as electors clamour to know more about their candidates and what they stand for. Or do they? In Christchurch, at least, candidates report a disquieting lack of interest. Have the voters already made up their minds? Have they lost interest altogether? Why are things so dead?

Typical of the reports — expecting the extravaganzas which boast party leaders or Cabinet-rankers — is one from last evening.

To meet the frenetic “desire to know” of the electorate, the local Jaycee chapter arranged a panel meeting at the Bishopdale Community Hall in the heart of the marginal Papanui seat. Letter-box deliveries of pamphlets ensured saturation coverage of the meeting throughout the neighbourhood; posters announcing the meeting shouted at electors from neighbouring shops; advertisements were placed in both the metropolitan and local newspapers. As a bonus, the major suburban newspaper, the

“Papanui Herald" ran a storv about the meeting.

chastising the sitting member, the Minister of Social Welfare (Mr Walker), for declining to attend. Nevertheless, the paper noted, the critical nature of the seat, together with the assemblage of a former Eden member of Parliament, Mr Mike Moore, Social Credit's Mr Gary Clover, and the Values Party leader, Mr Tony Kunowski. on the one platform during Btshopdale’s late shopping night, should mean the meeting would be a

boomer." . Starting time for the meeting was 7.30 p.rn At 7.30 pm. the candidates were there; the Jaycee chairman was there; the doors were open for the eager crowds. By 7.40 p.m. five persons had looked inside the door — and left. The meeting was abandoned.