GENERAL ELECTION

Northern Advocate, 19 July 1935, Page 2

GENERAL ELECTION

BAY OF ISLANDS SEAT

A POSSIBLE CANDIDATE

MR R. T. WRATHALL’S VIEWS

Mr R. T. Wrathall, of Mangonui, in- I terviewed by a representative of the j “Advocate” with regard to his pos-; sible candidature for the Bay of islands seat at the general election,; stated that he had been waited upon . by a deputation led by Mr Th on \ as ’! representative of Mangonui and Wha-; ngaroa,'and asked if he would favour-, ably entertain the idea of contesting j the seat as an Independent-Liberal, j Mr Wrathall replied that he had no i intention of standing as a Liberal. His, view was that Liberalism at the mom-; ent was dead, having been sacrificed by the remnant of the party which had joined up with Reform. He was! unable to subscribe to the Reform i platform at present, and as this party j had a definite influence on the policy of the National Party, he could not identify himself with the probable policy of the latter. At the moment, politics were m the air, he said. There was a rising tide of the Radical element, represented by the Labour Party, which was becoming a political power in the land, so much so that if the Reform and Liberal Parties approached the, electors as separate entities, Labour would, be returned by a huge majority. . A new party was springing up, said Mr Wrathall, the Social Democrats, and as their organiser, Mr Davy, had the reputation of being the most efficient, the party would probably put up a very fine fight for political supremacy. . “I can only say,” concluded Mr Wrathall, “that the Labour platform and policy, at the moment, appeals to me as being the nearest to the old school of political thought which I have romped in since the days of Seddon and Ward. If I decide to stand, I will make a definite statement at the end of July.”