COUNCIL

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 24, 23 October 1936, Page 10

COUNCIL

Ratepayers’ Association

Decision

JIR. T. FORSYTH TO BE ASKED TO STAND

Nominations for the by-election to fill the vacancy on the Wellington City Council, caused by the death of Mr. W. 11. Bennett, are to close with, the returning officer (Mr. J. Norrie) at noon

to-day. The indications are that there will lie t)vo candidates.

Mr. John Head (Labour), and .Mr. Thomas Forsyth (citizens’ committee).

Mr. Head, whose selection as Labour’s nominee was announced in yesterday’s "Dominion” following a meeting on Wednesday night of the Labour Representation Committee, has been well known in Trades Hall circles for the past ten years. At the last election (1935) he .was fifth on the list of rejected candidates. He did not stand for the council at the 1933 election, but was a candidate in the Labour interest in 1931, when he was the tenth ou the list of rejected candidates; aud two years before that he was sixth on the rejected list. Request to Mr, Forsyth.

After a meeting of the Wellington Ratepayers’ Association, held yesterday afternoon to consider the selection of a candidate, it was stated “that citizens must regret that the Labour Representation Committee of the Labour Party had not seeu fit to agree to the suggestion that the expense of an election be avoided by the selection of Mr. T. Forsyth as a candidate who would be unopposed by the Labour Party. "The election of. Mr. Forsyth unopposed was a suggestion worthy of acceptance in that his election would, maintain the balance of interests as obtained prior to the death of the late Councillor Bennett. Furthermore, Mr. Forsyth was a candidate at the main elections in May of 1935, and polled almost 15,000 votes, indicating that he is not an untried man. Indeed, he has rendered splendid public service to the city in various capacities. “At the last by-election caused by the resignation of a Labour Councillor. the Ratepayers’ Association—in order to avoid expense to citizens—agreed that a Labour nominee should be returned unopposed .thereby retaining the status quo. Unfortunately, a similar arrangement not having been agreed to by the Labour representation committee on this occasion, it was necessary that a candidate quite free, of particular party interests should be brought forward. “The meeting unanimously resolved that Mr. Thomas Forsyth should be approached for his consent to accept nomination. A deputation of citizens is to wait upon Mr. Forsyth at 10.30 on Friday morning.” Mr. Forsyth has had long experience on the City Council. He was first returned in April, 1919, and served until April, 11)25. He was elected again in 1929, and became chairman, of the works committee, but was defeated in last year’s election, when he came third on the list of rejected candidates, polling 17,827 votes. Mr. Forsyth was chairman of the Wellington Education Board for many years, and a member of the Victoria College Council. The election is to take place on Wednesday, November 4.