THE VACANT SEAT

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 218, 10 June 1933, Page 12

THE VACANT SEAT

Endeavours to Avoid City Council By-election INDECISIVE CONFERENCE Mr. C. F. Lethaby, president of the Island Bay Municipal Electors’ Association, yesterday announced his intention of contesting the City Council byelection, rendered necessary by tlie death of Mr. F. Meadowcroft. Mr. Lethaby was a candidate at the recent Citv Council election, when he came well down the list of rejected candidates. Be attributes that to the operation of the ticket system. This system, he maintains, is against the best interests of the city. He considers it largely responsible for the party system, which he says is out of place in municipal politics. Mr. John Castle’s candidature has already been announced. Rumour has been busy with the names of other possible candidates. These include Mr. P. Fraser, M.P., who only returned from the south yesterday; Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P., an exMayor and councillor; and Mr. R. A. Macalister, who topped the list of rejected candidates at the recent election. The hope is entertained in some quarters, however, that the cost to the city of a by-election may still be saved by arranging a walk-over by some candidate acceptable to the various contending interests. With that end in view a conference was held in the Trades Hail last evening. It was attended by Mr. C. D. Morpeth (president of the Civic League), Mr. H. H. Miller (president of the Wellington Ratepayers’ Association), and Messrs. P. Fraser, P. M. Butler, Mr. Black (secretary). Mrs. Snow, and others representing the Labour Party. Messrs. Morpeth and Miller made certain representations regarding the advisability of avoiding a by-election on grounds of economy, and suggested that Mr. R. A. Macalister might be chosen to fill the vacant seat. This was countered by arguments as to the proportional representation tiiat Labour might justly claim on the City Council, and the name of Mr. A. Parlane (who bad come next on the list of rejected candidates to Mr. Macalister) was mentioned as one who had just as much right to the seat as Mr. Macalister. No definite decision was come to, as the Labour representatives stated that they could not decide the point at issue until it had been submitted to their executive at a meeting to be held on Wednesday evening next.