ELECTION CANDIDATES

Evening Star, Issue 25925, 17 October 1946, Page 4

ELECTION CANDIDATES

WIDE RANGE OF OCCUPATIONS

MANY EX-SERVICEMEN IN LISTS

(Special.) WELLINGTON, Oct. 17. Both the Labour Party and the National Party have now announced their candidates for all the 80 seats in the General Election. > Unlike a number of previous elections, there will not be on this occasion, on, present indications, a plethora of other candidates. although there will be some. The present state of the partjes in the House of Representatives is: Labour 44, National 35. The remaining seat, Nelson, is vacant. This was held by the late Mr H. Atmore, who was the only Independent in the House, ana whose custom was to vote with the Government on major issues.

Labour has 42 new candidates in the field, and their average age is 42 years. They represent many walks of life, and many of them have seen service in New Zealand’s armed forces. Among the number are eight dairy farmers and five sheep farmers. There are four candidates from the legal profession. Teachers and secretaries are each represented by two candidates, and there are three business managers. Engineering and mechanical interests, commercial circles, and a nuniber of trades are also represented. Four of the new candidates are stated to be under 30 years of age, 16 are between 30 and 40. 13 are under 50, six are under 55, and there are three who are 60 years of age or over. The youngest candidate is Mr Warren Freer (25), who is standing for Eden. There are only two women candidates for Labour —Miss M. B. Howard, M.P. .(Sydenham), and Mrs Ann Newlands (Ashburton). Of the sitting Labour members, a total of six—the Hon. B. Roberts (Wairarapa), Messrs J. Hodgens (Palmerston North), P. Carr (Auckland West), L. G. Lowry (Otaki), P. Neilson (Dunedin Central), and the Hon. P. Webb (Buller)—are not contesting the election.

Thirty-three of the National Party’s 35 -, sitting members are in the field again. Those who have retired are Messrs W. J. Poison (Stratford) ■ and Adam Hamilton (Wallace). Including its representatives for the four Maori seats at present held by Labour, the party will thus have 47 new candidates. A wide range of occupations is also covered by the National Party’s candidates. .Of the total of 80, there are 20 farmers. Twelve are lawyers, six are school teachers, six have business interests, and five are builders by trade. There are four accountants, two journalists, two Civil servants, and two doctors. One candidate is a fisherman on the West Coast. There is also a freezing worker from Wait-ara, and a returned soldier who was a traffic.inspector before the war. Another candidate, now studying at the Otago University, Mr Norman Jones, lost a leg in North' Africa, and there is another who was a brigadier in World War Two and also served in the Great War. Only one woman candidate, Mrs G. H. Ross, present member for Hamilton, is standing. . The Labour Party will he represented by no fewer than. 37 ex-servicemen, and the National Party has 40 ex-service-men.