OROUA SEAT

Evening Star, Issue 18626, 6 May 1924, Page 8

OROUA SEAT

THE REFORM CANDIDATE. TROUBLE IN THE CAMP. to the ‘ Stab.’] PALMERSTON N-, May 5., The declaration o£ tlia Hon. I). H. Gufchrio that ho would not again contest Oroua seat, which ho retained at last election by the narrowest of margins against a young Liberal, Mr 11. Cobbe, has placed the Reform organisation of that electorate under the necessity of finding a successor to the Minister. After many consultations and) the combing of tho countryside •four ‘‘‘possibles” were unearthed, and these names were submitted to the committee, which decided upon Mr Gordon Elliott, who was selected by a majority of one vote over Mr Hugh MTntyre, both of Fell ding. However, this is ' not tho last word 'n this pre-election appointment, and there are allegations that a “ square deal ” was again a. minus quantity. The following letter has been addressed to the Secretary of the Oroua Reform Comraittep by Mr Mt.Tntyre, and is self-explanatory: “ Tn confirming my conversation with yon, I beg to put on record my protest against the peculiar methods employed in tho selection of the Reform candidate, for Oroua electorate for next election. When I was approached by the officials of the committee it was stated that the selection would he made by a. committee, the whole personnel of which was read to me. I agreed to abide by the decision of tho members of that, committee. However, I was astounded to learn that after the meeting of Friday evening (May 2), at which the selection was made, a number of additional members had been added to the committee, some ns 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 hole-and-corner methods, against which and loaded dice the Reform Party has so strenuously set its face in the past, I have in these circumstances no alternative but to state that I am not in nnv way bound by a decision contravening both the letter and the spirit of tho agrcetnent.j.jmd hold myself free as to the future to take such steps ns the best interests of the Reform Party warrant, and. should I see fit to do so, to appeal for approval to the wider constituency of the electors at large.”

Tiro selected candidate, Mr Elliott, is an amiable ex-farmer who was a goodi battler for Reform in the safe Manaiwaln electorate, and is a typical Reform rank-and-file r. Mr MTntyro is ft well-known educationist. a lawyer. and farmer, but Ins independence regarding extra political issues was evidently against -him.