POLITICAL NEWS AND NOTES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 156, 30 June 1914, Page 8

POLITICAL NEWS AND NOTES

REFORM CANDIDATES. FOUR WELLINGTON SEATS. [by TK.LEGRU-n.-SPF.fUI. coßßKsrwrovxT] Wn.i.lNCrriS", Monday. Tin: selection of " candidate for the Weilington Suburbs scat to succeed Mr. W. 11. I). Hall, the bitting member, who is retiring at the end of the present parlii merit, has engager) the attention of the Reform League for some time past, and arrangements have now been completed under which Mr. R. A. Wright, formerly member for Wellington South, will carry the Reform Party nomination in Wellington Suburb?. The Reform candidate for Wellington South will be Mr. J. P. Luke, Mayor of Wellington, and a former member for the Suhutbs se.it. It is understood that Mr. Luke was unwilling to contest any other than a city seat, and that this was chiefly responsible for the exchange effected. Wellington Central will be contested by the Hon. V. M. 13. Fisher, and Wellington North by the Hon. A. L. Herdman, the sitting members.

Till' SEAMEN'S VOTE. It is understood that an effort is being made to use the -.'anu-o's vote to defeat the Hon. Mr. Fisher in Weliingti :i Central at the coming election. To this end it i,- being alleged that during the strike Mr. Fisher let ships go to sea without regard to the full complement of trow. This statement is disproved by a urn presented to Parliament, but the return may not prevent a large number of seamen voting in Wellington Central. When seanvn were granted the privilege of an absentee vote it was never intended Cut it should he used to swamp the voters in any electorate. Such tactics, of (nurse, can bo counteracted by grouping the city electorates, or by providing that seameu shall vote at the port in which tiny happen to he on election dav, and in the , ;i<e of their being at sea at the last tort of call. LOCAL ELECTIONS BILL. The Local Elections (the proportional representation) Bill, which is to be introduced in the. House of Hepipsontatives, provides that the council of an undivided borough may, by spctial order, adopt tho provisions contained in the Bill with respect to all general elections of councillot's held after three months from the making of the order. The rest of the Bill simply provides the machinery of proportional representation, '[he new rvstem of election does not apply t<i elections and its adoption at. a general election is purely optional. The tilling of extraordinary vacancies is always more or less of a difliiilty under the proportional representation system. One proposal advanced in Tasmania in regard to Parliamentary elections under this system was that if either of the two parties in the Rouse at the time should lose a member, it should be permitted to nil the vacancy. The Local Elections Bill about to be introduced ill the New Zealand Parliament is in charge of the Hon. !•'. M. B. Fisher.