HUTT BY-ELECTION

Hokitika Guardian, 6 December 1929, Page 2

HUTT BY-ELECTION

KEBX CONTEST. DAUGHTER OF SIR. JOSEPH WARD CAMPAIGNING. WELLINGTON, Dec. 3. It is expected that the Hutt byelection contest will “wake up” this week, for all the candidates are well into their stride, and they will be trtpeiving the hplp )of expei'ienced and prominent outside politicians, A superficial view of the situation -would suggest that the labour candidate, Nl.r \W Nash, who has cultivated the constituency from outside for six years, should have an easf- win against the split forces of those opposed to official Labour, but the local conditions suggest that the contest is really going to be a close one between Mr Kerr, the United candidate, and his Labour opponent. Reform is making a bid with Mr Harold Johnstone, a Wellington solicitor who resides in the district. The party has given the retiring member a clear run against Labour since 1922, when Mr H. D. Bennett stood in the Reform interest and secured just over a quarter of the total votes polled in a three-corner-ed contest. With the re-appearance of a Reform candidate, it is very intersting to speculate regarding the extent of his support. One view put forward by those in close touch with events is that during the last two elections a certain number of Reform supporters t(trough? lopposc/d to the sitting member preferred to vote Labour, as affording the only opportunity of registering their opposition to Mr Wilford. If they constitute a large group it may ultimately bo found rtliat Mr Johnstone has taken many nominal Labour votes, and that the total of Mr Nash will consequently be loss than at the recent general election.

The United candidate, Mr Kerr, has been at the head of Afr Wilford’s organisation for many years, and is by far the most prominent local figure among the candidates. In addition to tho usual election committee, he has a women’s committee, at which there was an attendance of ninety at the opening conference. This gathering was addressed by Mrs Bernard

Wood, the Prime Minister’s daughter. who made an effective speech to demonstrate that the United Party has inherited the tradition and policy of the old Liberal Party, and that its unanimous acceptance of Sir Joseph Ward as the leader demonstrated that the Liberal policy would be carried further.

Mr Kerr’s organisation is good, but his rivals' are equally keen and effective on this side of the fight. Labour, -as usual, having its hard workers. while the Reformers are not behind. The constituency is substantially working class. It is a very compactarea within Hutt Valley and along the eastern side of Wellington harbour. Lower Hutt, the northern end, includes a large number of the better class suburban residences, many Wellington business men living in this pleasant suburb. However, it comprises only one-third of the voting strength, the remainder being principally in the industrial area of Petone. Thus the Labour supporters have great hopes on the split vote.

CLOSE FIGHT EXPECTED. Both United and Labour are taking the. line that the contest is a two-party issue, hut Mr H. F. Johnston, tho Reform candidate, is expected to poll a lug vote. Probably Mr Johnston is tho ablest platform man of the three, though ho lias not yet bad political experience such as is possessed by Mr Walter Nash. For the past week all three candidates have been organising strenuously, and the United Party has made no secret of the fact that it intends to strain every>nerve to hold the scat. At Lower Mult last week Mr A. E. Davy, chairman of tho United party’s Dominion executive, said that the Government recognised that the country was- watching the election and that if the seat was lost the maim of the party, would be shaken. A whirlwind campaign is anticipated. While Labour and United are proparing to cross swords, it is iinpossible to dismiss Air Johnston as merely a vote splitter. The retirement of All- H. I). Bennett, who was last official Reform candidate to contest the seat, lias added to Air Johnston’s strength, as it was recognised that most of Air Bennett’s support would come from nnti-Unitcds and

anti-Labourites. It is also significant that there has never'been a candidate so strong as Air Johnston since Air A. M. Samuel, now member for Thames, stood against Air Wilford. Mr Samuel ran Air Wilford to within 900 votes, the narrowest margin hv which he has ever won the seat.

United party circles coftfidently anticipate that Air Kerr, who is a well known and respected figure in the Huft Valley, and the only local man of the three candidates, will make serious inroads upon the Labour vote, which gave Air Nash a total of almost GOOD at the last election. So far Mr Kerr’s meetings have been highly successful and much bigger than Mr Wilford’s were at the last election. Labour, on the other hand, points to a total vote which has increased throughout the last three elections until it stood 1300 behind that of the new High Commissioner last November. Labour’s slogan for the campaign is “Nash this time.