Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, THURSDAY, SEPT. 14, 1933. THE LYTTELTON CONTEST

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18193, 14 September 1933, Page 6

Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, THURSDAY, SEPT. 14, 1933. THE LYTTELTON CONTEST

The by-election for the Lyttelton seat ended in a way which must generally have, been expected—in the return of the Labor nominee, Mrs. McCombs, by a very substantial majority. Mrs. McCombs thus earns the distinction of being the first woman to enter the New Zealand Parliament, and even thoso who are politically opposed to her will be unsparing and unqualified in their congratulations, and will require' no assurance that slio will be a worthy successor to her husband who served the electorate faithfully and well for so many years. The loss to the Parliamentary Labor Party by the death of Mr. McCombs was, indeed, a severe blow, but it must bo softened by the knowledge that his place will be filled by one no loss active and energetic in furthering the ideals of fihe party, and whose capability, perhaps, is lessened only by lack of experience. Not that Mrs. McCombs is, by any means, a novice In public life; on the contrary, she has a most enviable record in the local body sphere, and her advice and criticism in the House will be welcomed on all sides. Since 1021, Mrs. McCombs has been a member of the

Christchurch City Council and the North Canterbury Hospital Board, and a few years later earned the distinction of being the first and onty woman elected to the Christchurch Tramways Board. This record undoubtedly has qualified her for Parliamentary honors, and her election for Lyttelton, after twice previously unsuccessfully contesting other scats, marks another stepping stone in a political career, which, it is to be hoped, has many years yet to run. The mere fact of a. woman having been elected to the council of Stale marks an epoch in tho history of the political life of the Dominion, for since the privilege of membership was first extended to females several have sought election in vain, results having tended to suggest that there was a deep-rooted prejudice against women in Parliament. This prejudice, it it did actually exist,, has been successfully overcome by Mrs. McCombs, who, although the total number of votes cast appears to be smaller than was expected, was returned with moro votes and a larger majority than have been obtained in Lyttelton for many years, if at all in the past. Outstanding among the factors contributing towards Mrs. McCombs’ success were the strong sympathy and feminist sup-, port; the inevitable reaction against the Government, which is so characteristic in periods of difficulty; and, perhaps above all else, a very general appreciation of the successful candidate’s fine record of local public service. The campaign, of course, became something more than a local battle; it was waged on national issues and the whole strength of tho

respective parties was thrown into the scales. The Government was handicapped from, the outset, for the byelection, as is not unusual in such circumstances, placed it on the defensive, its actions being weighed against the promises of the Opposition. Tho record of the Government, it must be admitted, is not one which would be calculated to appeal to electors who, apart from whatever personal and sentimental considerations may have influenced them, have had it drummed into them for some weeks that all the eMIs attendant upon the depression are the result of the policy adopted by the Coalition. Ministers who ware in the electorate very ably defended the measures which they had been compelled, by force of circumstances, to adopt, but even the most spirited defence could not be expected to gain popularity for a Government whose term of office, so far as it has run, has largely been devoted to the carrying out of unpleasant tasks. On the other hand, , the Labor Party was in an almost ideal position to conduct such a campaign. Ever since the Government; assumed office the Opposition has been endeavoring to convince the people that it was responsible for the widespread distress that

existed —-even though that distress

was immeasurably less than that prevailing in other countries, some of which were under Labor rule. In the first place, therefore, it gained ground ori the Government’s alleged '.sins of omission and commission. In addition to accumulating political capital by its pose of a relentless critic, while failing to itself offer assistance in the time of tho country’s need, the Labor Party was able, also, to provide the electors of Lyttelton with lavish promises of what it would do, knowing full well that as it was not in power, it would not bo charged with the responsibility of redeeming them. In these circumstances, the real opponent of the Government candidate at Lyttelton was not the Labor Party’s nominee but tho economic circumstances which have baffled politicians in every part of the globe, and in every other country except New Zealand; has resulted in the Opposition being returned to power. Just how, large a part, the actual party spirit played in the result of this particular contest Is difficult to estimate, so potent were the other factors entering into it, but were it not for the predominance of this element throughout the campaign the election of Mrs. McCombs would have been doubly welcome. As it is, Lyttelton is assured of very able representation in Parliament, and, viewed from a national, rather than a party standpoint, there is every reason to expect that the whole Dominion will benefit from the addition of Mrs. McCombs to the personnel of the House.