COMING SESSION

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 106, 6 May 1924, Page 8

COMING SESSION

WHEN WILL IT BE?

AN INTERESTING PROSPEGT

TROUBLE IN OROUA

Chief interest in political circles is now' centred on the approaching session, of Parliament, and there is a good deal of speculation as to when the members of the General Assembly will be summorieo.' for the dispatch of business.. The,gene-i ral opinion is that Parliament will not meetearlier than the usual time, at the end of June, but in view- of the fact that there is a very heavy programme of work ahead, including some measures for which there was not time to give attention last session, it is thought by some that members may be called together somewhere about 14th Juno. When approached by a "Post"; reporter 01l t( le subject to-day the Prime Minister was not in a position to make any announcement. - ■■■'-.''-'.• ' ASKed whether the Legislature Amendment Bill (electoral reform), embodying the principles of propbrtional represent tation for urban electorates and preferential voting for the country districts, would be likely to come on in an early stage of the session, Mr. Massey Replied that financial matters would be taken first. It will be recalled that in the'; closing stages of last session Mr.1 Massey announced that ■ the Legislature Amendment Bill would be a non-part\ measure. ■ ■ : ; . : ■..• - it is generally conceded in Parliamentary circles that the coming session is going to be strenuous in more ways than one, and interest in the gen.eral political atmosphere is likely: to be heightened by a controversy which has arisen in the Oroua. electorate over;' the selection/ of a.. Reform candidate in succession to the Hon. D. H. Guthrie (Minister o fLands), who has declared his intention of retiring from politics at the expiration ot the present Parliament on account of illhealth. It was announced a few days ago that the local Reform organisation had decided upon Mr. Gordon Elliott,, who" was. selected by ; a. majority of one .vote over-Mr. Hugh, M'lptyre. Mr. M'lntyrehas now' addressed the- following letter to JJie Oroua Reform' Committee:— • "In confirming my ,conversation with you I beg to put on record my protest against the peculiar methods employed in the selection of a Reform candidate for- the Oroua electorate for next election. . . ..When I was by officials of the'committee it was stated that a selection would be made by a. committee, the whole personnel of which was read to mcC I agreed to abide by the decision of the members of that; committee. . However, : I. was .astounded to learn that after, the meet-' ing_ on Friday evening, ■; 2nd May,. 'at which the selection was made, a number of additional members- had been added to the committee, some as late as that evening: .As this obviously violated the original conditions laid down; and afforded an opportunity for political manipulation, and is apt to lead to underground engineering, to say nothing of the hole and corner methods against winch : and : loaded dice the Reform has so strenuously set its face in the past, 1.-; have', yin these circumstances no alternative but to state that J. am not in any. way bound by a decisiorv.contravening both the letter and spirit of the agreement, and hold myself free.as to the future to take such steps as the best interests of :the Reform Par warrant, and should1 I ; see fit'to" do so to appeal for the approval to the wider constituency of the electors at large." , . -..-■• ...