WELLINGTON NORTH SEAT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17216, 19 January 1918, Page 7

WELLINGTON NORTH SEAT

PROBABLE CANDIDATES,

(From Ode Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, 'January 18. Three candidates are now more or less in the field for Wellington North —Mr Luke (Mayor of Wellington), Mr A. E. Whyte (best known as secretary of the Wellington Kaoing'-Club), and Mr A. N. Poison (until recently private secretary to Dr Pomare). Mr Poison is quite unknown publicly or privately to the electors of the constituency. He was for somo timo in the CI Camp, and ono afternoon his grievances were-; discussed in the House of Representatives. He went to Christchurch lately to give evidence *in the Court of Inquiry into Dr Thacker's charges. Mr Whyte is well known privately to most of the influential people in Wellington North, and he has in the past been one of the most active of the supporters of Mr Herdman. He has made no speeches yet, but it is understood that ho is opposed to Mr Luko most strongly on the liquor issue. Air Whyte has been a speaker on deputations representing the Moderate League. For the reasons that Mr Whyto is closely allied with racing and opposed to liquor restriction, he will have many, opponents. Ho is a highly intelligent man, ready of speech, and well informed, ii clected he would bo a supporter of the Reform Party on most really important questions. It is sajd that ho will not stand unless he gets the Government nomination, and efforts aro being made to 6ecure it for him, but there is little chance that he will get it. The present position is that Mr Luke's position is improving. Many people who were disappointed to learn that he was the Government's choice as a successor to a member of the calibre of Mr Herdman are coming round to the opinion that after all dr Luke is the beet member they aro likely to get. It is a fact that Mr Herdman has been consistently elected for Wellington North, being a supporter of tolerance to the liquor trade, but this does not mean that Wellington North is a trade constituency. On the contrary, it is ono of the strongest prohibition seats in Wellington and ono can hear that even Mr Herdman would have found his vievys on the liquor question a heavy handicap in an election'if he had had to stand again.