WELLINGTON NORTH SEAT.

Otago Witness, Issue 3332, 23 January 1918, Page 52

WELLINGTON NORTH SEAT.

PROBABLE CANDIDATES. (From Ook Own Corbespondent.) WELLINGTON, 'January 18. Three candidates are now more or less in the field for Wellington North —Mr Luke (Mayor of Wellington), Mr A. E. Whyfco (best known as secretary of the Wellington Racing Olub), 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 some time in the CI Camp, and one afternoon his. grievances were ? discussed -in the House of Representatives. He went to Christchurch lately to give evi-' dence 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 tho supporters of Mr Herdman. He has made no speeches yet, but it is understood that he is opposed to Mr Luke most strongly on the liquor issue. Mr Whyte has been a speaker on deputations representing the Moderate League. For the reasons that Mr Whyte is closely allied with racing and opposed to liquor restriction, he will have many opponents. He is a highly intelligent man, ready of speech, and well informed, it elected he would be a supporter of tho Reform Party on most really important questions. It is said that he will not stand unless he gets the Government nomination, and efforts are being made to secure 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 Mr Luke is the best member they are 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 constituencv. On the contrary, it is one of the strongest prohibition seats in Wellington and one can hear that even Mr Herdman would have found his views on the liquor question a heavy handicap in an election if he had had to stand again.