OAMARU SEAT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26222, 5 August 1946, Page 4

OAMARU SEAT

NATIONAL CANDIDATE MR T. R. BEATTY SELECTED (Special) OAMARU. Aug. 4. At Palmerston, on Saturday afternoon, at the largest political convention ever held in the Oamaru electorate, Mr T. R. Beatty, building contractor, of Oamaru, who contested the Oamaru seat against Mr A. H. Nordmeyer at the last general election, was again selected as the National Party’s candidate for the seat. An unusual feature was the invitation to press representatives to attend the selection meeting. Five candidates—Messrs T. R. Beatty, J. E. Farrell, J. C. Kirkness, W. R. Laney. and W. R. Williams-

offered themselves for selection, and at the meeting there were 183 delegates present from the 34 National Party branches in the electorate.. Each delegate represented 20 members. Mr S. I. Fitch (chairman of the Oamaru National Party executive) presided at the meeting, and Mr Edmund J. Smith, of Dunedin, chairman of the Otago-Southland Division,. was also present. The organising of the meeting was directed by Messrs C. H. McDonald (organiser) and H. P. Kent (secretary). Mr Beatty said there was much greater enthusiasm in the electorate than when the National Party contested the 1943 election. The nation was tHen still at war, and he obtained a month’s leave from the army to fight the campaign. His task at that time was' a hard one, as he had for his opponent an able debater. The fact, he said, that Mr Nordmeyer made a personal appeal to have Port Chalmers included in the electorate was an admission that hd was already beaten.

After the ballot and the announcement that Mr Beatty had been selected, Mr McDonald said he felt sure the people of Oamaru would support Mr Beatty. The people to-day, were working to place on the Treasury benches honest and sincere men and women, who would put their country and the Emp're first. Mr Fitch also congratulated the selected candidate and endorsed the appeals made for the fullest support.