THE LABOUR VOTE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1308, 11 December 1911, Page 5

THE LABOUR VOTE.

PARNELL CONTEST. OFFICIAL DECISION IN FAVOUR 03 HEFOEM CANDIDATE. (By Teleirraph.-Sricriol Cnrrcsronrtcnt.l Auckland, December 10. The, political situation in Auckland 1U connection with the three second ballots is 'remarkably inlerosliup! if one looks .1 little way beneath UlO surface. In Par* noil Sir John Findhiy is ninkini; desppr-. nto efforts to overtake, his deficit of. GUI) votes. In Grey l.yim 31 r. I'owlds (who prior to last Thursday felt so sure »E election that he dropped his own campaign to aid Mr. AVithv against Mr. Myers in Auckland East) has rushed to thejiustjngs ;iR-iiin, and in Wnitemota Mr. Napier is moving heaven and earth to keep, hisplace at the lop of UlO poll. The l'arncll fight is \vorlh studying. Mr. Mack, the defeated Laljour candidate, has cone over to the side of the. despairing knight, despite ;m oKcial decision of the Labour party in Auckland that it« assistance shall be civen to Mr. Dickton. During .Mr. Muck's ca.m])«i;,'n lie criticised and saliriMxl 'ami delnolishixl in argument almost every claim of the Government to be . thu workers' iricud. ]Te waxed wrath, moreover, at the i'.u't 1 lint a Minister had Ijccii tent tip to stand agiviiifet him. ]'«iiil6 urc naturally askins now: Why this sudden t-hiiugu of front? In short, jmlilic - opinion is m> shocked nt thu nnaccountablo attempt of Mr. MwJc to (jet support for his recent foe tli.it his strange action may lose Sis John I'indlay many votes. It won't matter much, iuiyway, because. Mr. Diekson io almost certnin to win the seat. The utmost enthusiasm exists amount the rtowiiiß lxinks of Mr. Dieksoii's supportere. mid Mr. Mufsoy and he imiuiot appctir in public witliout bews vociferously cheered.' 'JV Labour party's ~ttil:u!o Jms IxK'ii clearly suited by Jlr. v.i. limrain, president uf ,Uio Aueklaiid branch. The Labour party's intention ;vs il affetits tlio Panioll sim(. y.-ns slated by Mr. l)i;;ram io have. hcon' arriwd ut nt n mooting of Hie' Executive. . Without, uominiftin;: • tin! parly, lie said, the Executive, had ilwiilcil In 'support Mr. DicksouV cauilidalure. Tliit decision had beou rcachcil

because tho ExeentiTo fully realised that tho party hail nothing to gain from supporting the present Liberal party, and because the Government, whflo professing to b© o labour Government, had sent ""pile of its strongest men into tho electorbfjb ito stand against a selected labour candidate. I'or this reason he strongly urfciid; all thoso who had supported Sγ. Mncfc to oast (heir votes in favour of Mr. iMoison, and by this moans to return an Indopendent candidate to repVcscnf, Pariieli. Tho chief offonoe 'of the GovorWent, Mr. Ingra.ni said, was that', it had. wholly neglected what was oiio"of tho'joain objectivea of tho Labour party. . '■'* "Our chief jconccrn," said Mr. Ingram, "is that tho cost of living has increased much moro tliafl tho standard of wages, and that tho sbiiidard of wages must bo made to eorrespohd with tho cost of living. Tho Government has douo nothing at all to toti'eft that Question, and in a caso liko that to v ono could expect sympathy between theHwo parties."

Other Auckland Seats. .As regards Grey Lynn, ,tho recent election may be) said to havo 'provided our biggest surprise. II was "thought that Mr. , Murray would havo got. into second place, : but Mr. Payne, tho. Labour candidate, won the position ajid looks yery.'liio ousting Mr, Fowlds. Sir. Payne is a. progressive of- extreme viOws, and has published long and startling ...advertisements. Tho feeling is that with, tho votes that went for Mr. Murray at the first ballot he should win, in which cftse tho Government will lose in Mr. Fowlds » staunch barracker, despite his secession, from tho Cabinet.

Though Sir. Napier headed tho first polf for Wuitemata, Mr. Harris, the Reform candidate, •will now havo practically all the votes polled for Mr. Alison and is iiomparativelr safo to win tho seat, even though Sir .Tamos Carroll does (as is rumoured) como up to help Mr. Napier.