LABOUR'S CANDIDATES

Maoriland Worker, Volume 12, Issue 299, 22 November 1922, Page 8

LABOUR'S CANDIDATES

C. H. CRAPBLAN (Hastings).

Mr. C. H. Chapman, before coming to New Zealand, was an enthusiastic I.L.P. worker in London, and from the first beginnings of the Labour Party movement in New Zealand has been one of its foremost members. At the last election in Hastings he polled' over 2200 votes, although hurriedly called in at the last moment to fight the seat. To his credit he has a lengthy record of Trade Union service, and is now the secretary of the Typographical Union in Wellington as well as Of tha Related Printing Trades. He is now a Labour Party member of the Wellington City Council and the Hospital Board, and has also served for a term on ths Wellington Harbour Board. He is confident that no difficulty would have been experienced in win-, ning the seat for Labour had the Labour forces of Hastings concentrated since last election on organisation and propaganda instead of internal faction. As it is, he will poll a creditable vote. * • ». »" L. McILVRIBE (Napier). Mr. Lewi3 Mcllvride is a Scot, and, an engineer, who has had a lengthy membership of the Amalgamated Eni gineering Union, in the New Zealandbranches of which he has held manyj offices. He is now a member of the A.S.R.S., and before leaving Wanganui;; for Napier was secretary of the Trades and Labour Council. Iv 1919 he contested the Wanganui seat as a Labour candidate, and in 1921 he was-Lab-our's rep. in the Patea by-election. Faced with a wide assortment of capitalist candidates, he has a really good chance of victory. * # * • J. A. LEE (Auckland East). Mr. J. A. Lee was born in New Zealand 31 years ago. He worked on rarms, mills, etc., in the South Island, and has carried his swag in pre-war aays. He fought in the war, where he lost an arm, being awarded the D.C.M. for gallantry. He joined the IsFew Zealand Labour Party the day he arrived back from the war. He has been an active worker in Labour circles ever since. At present he Is President of .the Auckland L.R.C. He contested Auckland East at the byelection, being defeated by 400 votes. He will win this time. At present he is the proprietor of a small manufacturing plant. * * * * J. ROSS (Wanganui). Mr. James Ross is a New Zealander, being born here 38 years ago. He is a carpenter by trade. In 191-2 he was appointed secretary of the local. Carpenters' Unioni and has organised for these workers, and for the Hotel Workers, Drivers, General Labourers, and Gas Stokers. For several years he was chairman of the Wanganui Trades and Labour Council. He has. been a member of the Wanganui Labour Party since its inception, and is now its president. He has taken an active interest in friendly society work for several years, and has sat on the Executive of the North Island Brass Bands' Association for twelve months. * » » « D. K. PRITCHARD (Hiitt). Mr. D. K. Pritchard, our candidate for Hutt, is a native of Scotland, and has been prominently associated with the Labour movement in different parts of the British Empire, particularly in Africa and New Zealand. H'3 first came into prominence in the Labour affairs of this country during the Blackball strike in 1908, being the representative of the Union deputed to tour the South Island and deliver public addresses, explaining the real cause of the strike, and, as a result of his activities, public opinion was completely changed. He was for three years a delegate on the Canterbury Trades and Labour Council. In Wellington he has been a vice-president and president of the Wellington Boot Operatives' Union and also a delegate to the Wellington Trades and Labour Council. In 1919 he was the selected Labour candidate for Hutt, during which contest he established the welldeserved reputation of a clean, ( straight, and honourable fighter. He is a deep student, and is one of our ablest platform speakers. At the time of writing his chance of winning is excellent. J. McCOMBS (Lyttfclton). Mr. J. McCombs, M.P., is Labour's champion statistician, and is a verit-. able reveller in Blue Books,.tables ofj figures, and financial statements. His excellent qualities may be gathered from the fact that Mr. Massey hates'him thoroughly. He was elected for] Lyttelton during the strike of 1913,; and. has greatly improved his In the constituency. At cost of living Indexes he Is a genius, and his wOrkj In' pursuing arguments against thej wage cut, both in and out of the Ar-| nitration Court, has put the movement! under a very great debt of gratitudel to 1-in_, '■

REV. J. K. ARCHER (Clirlstclnircli Norfch). The Rev. J. K. Archer, who is a minister in the "Baptist Church, is one of 'Mr. Massey's "disloyalists," having been a military chaplain in one of the training camps during the war. Mr.' Archer, before coming to New Zea-( land, was for a long time associated with the Socialist movement in Great Britain. He is now a member of the Christchurch City Council. As a tutor in the W.E.A- he recently gained som*} celebrity hy daring to teach Marx, for which he was vilified by Sir Robert Stout and. libelled by the "N.Z. Times." "The "Times" had to pay damage-*. A gratifying feature of this' business was the loyalty of the students to Mr. Archer. Lately he severely rebuked Howard Elliot in Duntdin for his malicious allegation that the Labour movement was under the thumb Of "Rome." Only one thing will says Mr. Isitt from defeat at hands of Mr. Archer, and that is the loyalty of his Tory pals. T. ARMSTRONG (Cliristchurdh ) East). ' Mr. T. Armstrong is now secretary; of the Christchurch Tramwaymen's - Union, and a member of the City i Council. He has had a long oareer as a Trade Unionist, and suffered the; Government's malignity during the Waihi strike. At the last election he; polled close on 4000 votes in Ckri3t-; church North against Mr. L. M. Isitt.: Christchurch Labourites reckon he : can defeat Dr. Thacker, whose "mana". is waning. * • • « • J. A. MeCULLOtt&H (Riccarton). Jack McCullough is a celebrity in; our movement, with a reputation for sterling honesty and open-handed, generosity. For .forty years at least in New Zealand he has been battling' for Socialism, aud long before there was anything of a Labour Party he spoke in Christchurch halls and street corners against -the iniquities of capitalism.. For many years he was a leading tinsmith In the Addington Railway Workshops, and a prominent' member of the A.S.R.S. He was sacked by Sir Joseph Ward for "contumaceous participation in politics." The outraged Labour movement thereupon elected him to the position of Workers' Representative on the Arbitration Court, a position ha held until he resigned about twelve months ago as a protest against the violation of the Court's "stabilisation" . agreement by cutting shearers' rates. Deservedly popular in Riccarton, where he has resided for many years, he should beat Mr. Witty easily now that that gentleman has brazenly declared his preference for Mr. Massey rather than lor La*bour. £ «• * # J. GILCHRIST (Dnnsoin Central). Dunedin Central Branch of the N.Z. Labour Party Is to be congratulated in having the services of such a solid man as Mr. J. Gilchrist. Born in Glasgow in 1872, he was one of the founders of the British Independent Labour Party and Secretary of the South Edinburgh Branch. He came to New Zealand in 1900, and for a time was a member of the Wellington Trade 3 and Labour Council. He took an active interest in the co-operative movement at Home, and he sustained his interest in. the movement here, and became Manager and Secretary of the People's Co-op. in Wanganui East. He came to Dunedin 19 years ago, and assisted ia forming the Dunedin Progressive Society, of which he was secretary. As Secretary of the Fabian Society, the Political Labour Party, and the Otago Labour Representation Committee, h* ha 3 been unsparing of his energy in the cause of progress. He takes a deep interest in education, and for 12 yeai*3 lectured in New Zealand schools. For the splendid work he has done in this respect he holds over 200 letters of appreciation from teachers and rectors. In the 1919 election he entered the fray in the Chalmers electorate, and notwithstanding the fact that he came late Into the contest, he succeeded in polling a bigger vote than the Liberal candidate. He should prove a nightmare to friends Statham and Co. A. L. MOITTEITH (Wellington Easft). Mr. A. L. Monteith, Labour candidate for Wellington East, is by occupation a storeman, and joined the Wellington Storemen'a Union shortly after its formation. Two years later he was elected to the secretaryship, and held that office for a period of five years. Upon the formation of the N.Z. Storemen's Union he was elected secretary, and the following year was elected to the presidentship. To-day he is secretary to the Wellington Tramwaymcn's Union. Mr. Monteith is also a member of the National Executive of the Labour Party. He con- : tested the Wellington East constitu-* ency at the last General Election, and, was runner-up in a three-cornered' fight,

A. W. CROSKERV (Weßingtoa Snbnrbs). Mr. A. W. Croskery is Secretary of; the Drapers' Assistants' Union and; Butchers* Operative Union in Welling-"] ton, and for several years has given of his best to the organisation of; difficult classes of Labour and to all; the activities associated with tha | Trades Hall. At the last election he j polled well over 3000 votes, coming second on the poll and easily beating the £iberal. At the present elections for the first time Labour has a straight run (so far) with the Tory, and as the Tory has always been in a minority of about 1000 over the total vote 3 cast, Mr. Croskery has an excellent chance of winning. * '*•#.-# J. O'BRIEN (Westland). Mr. J. O'Brien is at present the manager of the "Grey River Argus," Labour's first and only daily in New Zealand. During the years made his-: toric in Labour annals In New Zealand by the agitation of the "Red" Federation of Labour, he played an energetic part and accordingly is well-known and respected throughout the West Coast. For delivering a speech against conscription in Greymouth he- got a twelve months' sentence, which he served in Lyttelton Gaol. At the last election he blazed the trail in Westland against Mr, T. E. Y. Seddon, who was supported by the Tories, and polled 2654 votes. At this election two Tories are in the field as well as the -fiiberal, and consequently there is a confident feeling that Labour's candidate will carry the flag to victory.

B-HcKEEN (Wellington South). Before coming to New Zealand Mr. R. McKeen was in the Socialist movement in Glasgow. On arrival here he worked at Blackball and afterwards was elected to secretarial positions in Wellington Trades* Unions, including the Grocers' Assistants, Match Factory Workers, Brewery Employees, and the Woollen Mill workers at Petone. For several years he was Secretary of the Wellington L.R.C., and organised the election fight in 1919 when Labour's candidates in the capital city polled 18,000 votes. At present he is Chairman of the. Mirauiar South School Committee, on which he has done excellent work. -*. »; .* • F. LAMJSTOIfE (Wairaarino), At the last election Mr. F. Langatone polled nearly 2400 votes against a £ iberal-Tory combination supporting tho .sitting member. He was de-j feated by 600 votes. With the vote - now. split over two £lberals and a Tory, he should iiave a sake-rwaMe on ths occasion. The candidate ha*} glyenj •maxry years to Union wpi-k. He was.; an Executive, member of tiie pldj Shearers' Federation and has .lajb?lyorganised £or the .New*" .Zeajand ers' Union among the Umber .workers' pf th© King Coiintry*

P. C. VDfJfELL (Timaru). At the last elections Mr. P. C. Vittnell polled 3120 votes against a £iberal who was backed by the Tories. The "Lyttelton Times" predicts that he will win on this occasion, owing to the probability that many Liberals will refuse to vote for the Tory who has taken the sitting £ iberal's place. Mr. Vinnell is also one of Mr. Mas- ; sey's "foreigners"—he came from the of England, where he was an [active member of the I.L.P. Both in Wellington and Timaru he has been an enthusiastic toiler for the Cause. ■.#■<-*"*■* F. P. BRADV (Rangitikei). The high vote polled by Mr. F. P. Brady at the last election in this seat was quite unexpected by the Movement generally. He secured 2350 votes In what is practically a ruralconstituency, and came second on the poll, beating the £iberal by 700 votes. The Tory polled 2800 roughly. *.* * * C. M. MOSS (Dunedin West). Mr. CM. Moss was born at Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, 40 years ago. He is an engineer by trade, and imbibed his democratic principles fron. the agitation led by Lloyd George and •"' others against the Boer War. He early joined the Trade Union movement, in which he held many offices, and before to New Zealand in 1913 was a member of the Independent Labour Party and the Social Democratic Federation. On arrival in the Dominion he actively participated in the work of the AiE.U., and was elected to sevJeral offices. For two years he was President of the Otago Trades and

Labour Council, and at the present, moment is President of the L.R.C., a\ position he has held for two years. Ha is.a member of the National Executive of. the N.Z. .Labour Party. Mr. Moss's record of earnest, unostentatious service in the cause of Labour should commend him to the electors of this constituency. • • • * E, J. HOWARD (Cluistclinrel. South). Mr. E. J. Howard, known to Maoriland Worker readers as The Vag., and Uncle Ted, was in his early life « sailor in the Queen's Navee. Coming from Great Britain, he is what Mr. Massey would describe as a "foreigner." For twenty years in this country he has given faithful service to the Labour movement, and by his inimitable wit and humour has cheer,ed, as well as converted, thousand#. In Christchurch he has held all sorts of pinion offices, spouted on street nor? ner§, led strikes, gone to gaol, and wpa elections. In 1919 he smothered, the Tory, and since in the. .House has gfyen pf fits hes| to the toilers. H* lias specialised in Workers' CQmp§*a.S.jJtiou |or Accidents, and for iin#rsy§menjLs repently gained must be crejllied. ,'He 'is now faced a .££s*£beat ..Siberai and Tory, and will %$$ thani hol-U to frazzle.