LYTTELTON BY-ELECTION

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22142, 22 June 1935, Page 14

LYTTELTON BY-ELECTION

TIIE LABOUR NOMINEE MR. McCOMBS' CAMPAIGN LEAVE OF ABSENCE GRANTED Mr. T. H. McCombs, who has been nominated by the national executive of the Labour Party to contest the Lyttelton by-election, has been granted several weeks' leavo of absence from the staff of the Seddon Memorial Technical College, and will leave for tho South early next week. Leave was granted after the chairman of the collego board, Mr. J. A. C. Allum, had conferred with the Education Department in Wellington. Tho seat which Mr. McCombs will contest has become vacant owing to tho death of his mother, Mrs. E. R. McCombs. It is stated that tho leaders of the Labour Party will take a prominent part in the campaign, which will be opened on July 2. THE WAIRAU SEAT LABOUR CANDIDATE APPROVED [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS association] BLENHEIM, Friday The National Executive of the Labour Party has officially approved of the nomination of Mr.' Edwin Purcoll Meachen as Labour candidate for tho Wairau seat at the general election. Mr. Meachen contested tho seat against Mr. E. P. Healy at the last election. Other candidates are expected to include Messrs. Healy (Government), J. Anderson Reilly, of Seddon (Independent) and Mark W. Grace, of Nelson (Independent), and possibly Mr. W. J. Girling, former Reform member.

NEW PLYMOUTH CONTEST MR. J. ROBERTS NOT STANDING [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] NEW PLYMOUTH. Friday For reasons which have not boon disclosed, Mr. J. Roberts, of Wellington, who had been nominated as the official Labour candidate for the New Plymouth seat at the general election, has withdrawn from the contest. According to an announcement made to-night by Mr. S. Flood, chairman of the New Flymouth branch of the Labour Party, Mr. W. A. Thomas, a farmer of Oakura and a member of the Taranaki County Council, has agreed to consider a request to accept nomination.