THE FIGHT AT MOTUEKA

Grey River Argus, 8 December 1932, Page 2

THE FIGHT AT MOTUEKA

Government Win on Minority Vote LABOUR’S SUBSTANTIAL MOVE FORWARD. BY 1!. E. HOLLAND. M.P. Alotueka is one of the largest ami most difficult electorates in New Zealand. It stretches from Puponga, Collingwood, and Takaka in the north of the South Island, to ATaruia ami Reefton in the south, and from Golden Downs and Tophouse, eastward to the coast line at Karamea northwest. It includes part of Wakefield in the Nelson district, and the town of Motueka on the shores of Golden Bay. Tho railway service within the electorate is limited, and of no use whatever in an election campaign. The many hundreds of miles have to be covered mainly by motor vehicles, and in the ease of some remote polling places the travelling is by open boat or on horseback. Our speakers managed to got to most ’ of tho centres, but there wore some which neither the candidate nor any other speaker could reach. Add to this the fact that the electorate is wholly rural, with practically no labour organisation, except nt Reefton, and that there are more than 90 widelyseparated polling places, ami tho magnitude of the candidate’s task can bo imagined. THE CANDIDATE. The central figure in tho fight was, of course, the candidate —Mr P. CWebb; and every Labour member privileged to assist in the contest was

impressed by the manner in which he conducted his campaign. Unwavering in his .adherence to tho fundamentals of Labour’s policy; splendidly effective on the platform; courageous to the last degree; offering no apology whatever for his line of conduct in the tragic, war years, but boldly declaring that under similar conditions ho would again be honest with his own conscience—thus did Paddy Webb win the applause of his supporters and the admiration and respect of his opponents. And when the fight was ended and the last available return had been announced, ami we recognised we could not win. Webb demonstrated that the spirit of healthy optimism which made him a. force in the Labour movement of twenty years ago ami the succeeding periods of storm ami stress was still vibrant within him. It was a ringing note that ho struck. “Who is it speaks of defeat ? I tell you ours is a cause greater than defeat can know! ’ ’ Every one of us standing on the hotel balcony from which the concluding speeches were made felt proud ol Paddy Webb —prouder, if that were possible, than ever before. AN EFFECTIVE CAMPAIGN. Ten members of the Parliamentary Labour Party took part in the campaign. The first two members to enter the contest were the Hon. Mark Pagan. AI.L.C., and Mr Jas. O’Brien. Those were followed by Messrs Semple. Lee, Jordan, Fraser, Langstone, Alc(’ombs, Carr, and 11. E. Holland. The National Secretary. Air Jas. Thorn, was campaign organiser, with headquarters at the Alotueka township; and, needless to say the work of organisation was efficiently done and tho arrangements worked out excellently. The speakers worked every possible area—from Inangahua Junction, on tho Buller border, to Roof ton; from Reefton to the Alurehison district and Alaruia: from Murchison to Glenhope and the Alotupiko Valley; from Alotupiko, through Tapawera and the Alotueka Valley to Golden Bay; from the town of Alotueka to Puponga farthest north: from Karamea in the isolated mountainous west to Golden Downs and Kikiwn in the East; from Sandy Bay to Aloutere Hills and Wakefield in the vicinity of Nelson. Never before has the message of Labour boon so effectively carried to the people of a rural constituency in a by-election. Likewise never before have Labour speakers addressed meetings that wore so numerously attended or been received with ; so much courtesy and friendship on ; tho part of supporters and opponent-; alike. It was a. magnificent effort, and its results were shown in the voting on December Ist, and will be further shown next time we enter tho field for Alotueka. In the campaign on the West Coast side of the electorate, wore were cap ably supported by the “Grey River Ar gus, ’’ whose leading articles are always a source of strength in every conflict ia which Labour is engaged. To “The New Zealand Worker.” issuing from Wellington, our thanks are also due for its championship of the Labour Party’s candidature. Other than these two journals we had no newspaper support.

LABOUR’S SIGNIFICANT ADVANCE. The voting in the 1932 by-election constitutes a significant advance. In 1919 the Motueka electorate was contested for the first time by a candidature of the Labour Party. The late Mr W. P. Power (President of the Inangahua Minors’ Union) was then Labour’s standard bearer. Beyond two addresses delivered by myself — at Karamea and Murchison respectively — Mr Power received no support from Parliamentary speakers. At that time we had only five members in the House. In view of all the circumstances Power polled an exceptionally good total. There were three candidates in the field Reform, Liberal and Labour; and the voting was: Hudson (Reform) 2,456; Power (Labour), 1,795; Lomax (Liberal), 1.255. The anti-Labour vote was thus 3.711, and the Labour vote 1,795. In 1922 there was no Labour candidate in the field; but, in 1925—the year of the great ‘‘Coates Wave” —

Mr Mark Fagan, now a member of the Legislative Council, contested the electorate and substantially lifted the Labour vote. Mr Fagan had no assistance whatever from Parliamentary speakers. Tn a general election it is extremely difficult for sitting members to fill dates in electorates other than I heir own. The returns showed: Hudson (Reform) 4,356; Fagan (Labour), 2.25-1, This year Webb increased Fagan’s record by nearly 1000, and the Reform and United (Liberal) parties in combination find themselves saved from defeat in the constituency solely by the fact that the anti-Governmeut vote was split by an Independent. The figures were: Holyoake (Coalition) 3,777; Webb (Labour) 3134; McKenzie (Independent) 819. The foundations for this advance on the part of Labour -was laid by Power in 1919, and Fagan in 1925. AS TO THE FUTURE. I am strongly of the opinion that the present Parliament will not run the full four years’ term unconstitutionally set by itself. Apparently others are of the same opinion. In his speech on election night, Mr Roderick McKenzie announced that Mr Coates had told him that ho must expect a general election within twelve months. So far Mr Coates has not denied Dlr McKenzie’s statement, and consequently it mav be accepted as a correct expression of the viewpoint of a loading member of the Government. I think it is certain that a general election will come within two years, and it behoves Us to bo ready. 1 came away from Motueka with the idea firm in my mind that, if Mr P. C. Webb would consent to bo Labour’s candidate again in the next fight for Motueka —ami if we fol low the sensible course, as undoubtedly we will, and have the candidate announced without delay—Labour’s flag will fly at the top of the poll when next the returns are announced to the people massed in the street below.