POLITICAL ANTICIPATIONS.

Evening Star, Issue 12679, 6 December 1905, Page 4

POLITICAL ANTICIPATIONS.

OTAGO. -The City Seats - are. the L-übjeet of many-sided speculation. MGst people content thennseiv"-^ ■wxth opinions aboui 17>une<ii: South and Dunodin Central, or about Cti, tral and North, or North and South, li. the South the StcwartiteG make rx> secre of their ability to seat their man, but .%:. ARNOLD'S Nupporteis are un?hakon in their belief that their man will command a niii jority of at leatt 400. Tho Labor vctt will go solid to him, aa well as a beav\ Prohibition vote. In the Central boll: ■■ shies are working " all eyes out," and ! the contest is more one of Continuance \. | Ao-lioenso tluvn of tjeddon v. Massey. It j is admitted that tho struggle is a keen i one, but the opimon appea-i-s to bo th:i*. I Mr jVIIIiLAI. will manage to squeeze home. j In tho North, the key to tho tK&itioii i;i likelv to be supplied bv the Albany street booth, where the polling will be heaviest. If the \ve;iiher indications do not get worse, Mr Jiedford's (ximmittec will U: able to poll all their eitVtive, voters, bn r Mr Barclay's strength is supposed to centre in Maori Hill, Woodhaugh Valley, and around Pelichet Bay; Mr Bedford's will be drawn from all quarters oi the electorate, and he will obtain tho full measure of the Prohibition-Opposition support. —Caveniam—is once more left to 3iessrs Sidey and Earnshaw. This time the contest has been ltappily freed from tho bitterness and perronalitk» which disfigured it in 1902, and tie isnua is wholly one of Men and ' Measures. Sir Earnthaw has been merc»- | lfss in his criticism of the misdeeds of the Redidon regime, and though a staunch jjberal himself will vote to bring Mr Massey's party into power rather than continue an Administration which, according to his bghts, have thrCmi to the winds au the benefits of the telf-reliant policy inaugurated by John Ballance, and sacrificed tho cardinal features of John M'Kenzie's land policy. Mr SIDET, per contra, stands for Seddonism pure and simple, and hopes to win this ideal working man's constituency by something like 350 or 400 votes. - —Chalmers.— is another triangular duel. Mr E. G. Allen having opposed to him Mr Wm. Pryor, of the North-east Valley, who belongs to the Cave of Adullam, otherwise the Independents, whom both the real political parties in the House would gladly see exterminated ; ;ind by Mr Gibb, whose especial bete noir is the Dock Trust and the chairman thereof. The latter, has not lor-