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Evening Star, Issue 17312, 27 March 1920, Page 6

In this issu« appears a notification of the issue of a writ for the reT3lo turn of a, member of the Bruoe Hou36 of Representatives Elect ton. in the room of Sir James Allen; and that the nomination has been Used for April 5. A ehort time ago, when it was definitely known that Sir James had accepted the High Commissionership and had booked by an early steamer for London, it was whispered in the electorate that there was the possibility of a walkover for the Ministerial candidate, but this is not now likely to happen. Mr John Edie, who, though a novioe in politics, • gave (to use sporting pliraseology) the old and tried war-horse the run of his career, is once again the chosen standard-beaTer of the Liberal banner, and Mr James Begg, who is equally well-known throughout southern Otago, lias received Mr Massey's endorsement and unqualified approval. Whether Labor will have & cut in remains to be seen, but if it- does we do not apprehend its candidate will meet with much favor for two reasons—that a bucolic constituency will not in the first place tolerate for a moment any "extremist" platform, and, in tho next, Bruce i<s steadfast in its faith in the virtues of Prohibition, and is not likely to receive with open arms any advocate of State Control. Per obvious reasons, we should prefer to see -a straight-out fight between Inform and Liberal, and that the Cost of Living problem be made the test of the contest. We know of no better way of persuading Mr Massey that the problem is dead-nrJs for solution; it must not be trifled with any longer.