THE WALLACE ELECTORATE.

Southland Times, Issue 20538, 14 July 1928, Page 3

THE WALLACE ELECTORATE.

To the Editor. Sir, —There appeared in your columns last week a letter signed “Elector Wallace” which referred to the nomination of a United Party candidate for the Wallace seat. Just now a great deal of interest is centered round this matter and one ia surprised that there has been no further comment. It would seem that the United Party has taken over the Liberal organisations and is catering for the Liberal vote, and, if this be so, a great- deal of confusion appears to exist, as it is not clear at all that the United Party nominee has the endorsement of the Liberal element in the electorate. Many of the Liberal sympathizers with whom the writer has come in contact, were not aware that a nomination was going to be made at this stage, and seem to think that those responsible have been much too high-handed in the matter. It is probable that there is more than one candidate elegible for nomination and the general opinion is that at least some attempt should have been made to test the feeling of the opposition element in Wallace. “Elector Wallace” mentions one such in the person of Mr George Pulley, of Otautau, and one cannot but admit that Mr Pulley has not been fairly treated. Always assuming that the United Party is simply the old Liberal Party and acting as such, surely Mr Pulley was well worthy of consideration.

This letter is merely a comment on the situation and is not intended to be an eulogy of Mr Pulley, but at the same time it may not be out of place to mention that he has been a Liberal and intimately connected with Liberal affairs all his life and comes from a very old Liberal family, more than one member of which has held a seat in the English Parliament. Further, Mr Pulley has been a practical working farmer for the greater part of his life, has had a good deal of business experience, and, as his operations in the town where he now resides clearly show, is undoubtedly a progressive and enterprising citizen. Still, as I said before, a great deal of confusion exists and perhaps the matter is not settled yet. I understand that Mr Pulley is prepared to address the electors in the near future, so who is to say that Wallace will not do as did Invercargill last election, and send to Parliament a representative who has always been a genuine Liberal, and who, even in these times of rapidly changing political titles, is still standing hard and fast by the old name.—l am, etc., ONLOOKER.