THE MAYORALTY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10846, 11 March 1921, Page 4

THE MAYORALTY

FIVE CONTESTANTS POSSIBILITY OF A SIXTH APPEARING. “VOTE-SPLITTING” SUGGESTION. Tho position in regard to the Mayoral campaign at the forthcoming election® is still in a somewhat nebulous state. There are five candidates in the field. Mr P. Hickey is the official Labour candidate. The other candidates who have declared themselves are: Messrs T. Hislop, Len. McKenzie, C. J. B. Norwood, and R A. Wright, and there is also a poesibility that Mr T. Shaffer Weston, who has been approached by the Greater Wellington Election Committee, may also consent to contest the election. » The Election Committee negotiated for some time with Messrs McKenzie, Norwood, and Wright, with the object of selecting one of their number to .contest the seat- in the best interest® of the city, and thus avoiding vote-splitting at the poll. At the beginning of the week a meeting of the committee was held, with the object, it was stated, of making a selection, but it resulted in a decision to nominate Mr Weston, and to ask the other candidates concerned to stand down in his favour. ,If Mr We®ton consents to stand and the other contestants decline to accept the suggestion, there will be six candidates in the field, and the position, as far as vote-spliting is concerned, will be aggravated rather than relieved.

Mr McKenzie’s committee has suggosted to the committees of Messra Norwood and Wright, in a further endeavour to come to an agreement as to which two should drop out, that the selection should be made by a special committee consisting of three members of each candidate’s committee, together with Mr C. P. Skerrett, K.C., Mr C. M. Luke, Mr F. Meadowcroft, and Colonel G. Mitchell, M-P-Mr Norwood’s committee held a meeting yesterday, but has deferred consideration of this suggestion. Mr Wright’s committee has promised consideration of the proposals. Mr Hislop has declared his intention of going to the poll, and has not been concerned in the negotiations for the reduction in the number of candidate®. Mr Weston is expected to return to Wellington to-day, and his reply to the request that he 6hould declare himself a candidate is expected shortly. It is thought not unlikely that if the number of candidates is not reduced by arrangement, certain of the contestants wTll decide to drop out. Mr C. J. B. Norwood’s committee, which met .yesterday, had decided to proceed with the compaign ;or his candidature forthwith. The following motion has been carried by the committee:—“That this committee regret* that the Greater Wellington Election Committee did not continue upon it* first policy of endeavouring to eliminate candidates already in the field. The committee feels, however, that it has done everything within it® that would bring about a prevention of vote-splitting, and believes that had the Greater Wellington Election Committee selected one of the candidates already announced, as was apparently its original intention, such action would have materially assisted the object in view. Its action in bringing a further candidate into the field ha®, in this committee’s opinion, only further complicated the position, and this committee now feels compelled to proceed with the campaign, at the same time hoping that wiser counsels will yet prevail to ensure the object desired, that is, to do the best in the city’s interests.”