MR. BRANDON AND THE LIQUOR PARTY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 135, 25 February 1918, Page 4

MR. BRANDON AND THE LIQUOR PARTY

The question of whether or not a meeting of the Licensed Victuallers' Association was held to bring out Mr. Brandon as a candidate is being magnified into an issuo of some' importance in the Wellington North election. An interjection by the chairman at one of the election meetings has given Mil Brandon an opening, apd a voluminous correspondence has followed which possibly is designed to obscure the fact that nothing counts in this election beside the one outstanding fact that a win for Mr. Luke will be a vote of confidence in the National Government and all that it stands for. We do not believo that either Mr. Brandon or the Liquor Party will profit by tho publicity which has been given the matter. Tho public has not over-much patience with the interference of tho Liquor Party or any other vested interest in matters affecting tho conduct of the war, and the Licensed Victuallers' Association would have been well advised to keep out of a struggle in which it has little if anything to gain and in which it is liable to antagonise a very strong public opinion. If Mr. Holland should win this election through Mr. Brandon causing votesplitting, the Trade may find that it has made a peck of troubles for itself. As to Mr. Brandon's attitude, there has_ been an evasiveness about his replies to _ questions addressed to him on licensing trade matters that will not commend his candidature to many electors who like a straightforward answer to a plain question.