OROUA'S POLITICS

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXXII, Issue 60, 8 May 1924, Page 6

OROUA'S POLITICS

SELECTION OF A CANDIDATE.

A, PROTEST FROM MR McINTYRE

The selection of Mr Gordon FJUot as the Reform Party's candidate in the Oroua electorate, in the event of an early election, was not the final move in the arraugiug of matters consequent upon the Hon. I). n. Guthrie's decision not to again <' on " test the seat. Some months ago a meeting representative of the supporters" of the Reform Party was held, when the sitting member made it, clear that, owing to faring health, he would not be a candidate again for the seat. A committee was thereupon set up to go into the matter, and oii Friday evening this committee, tugether with others, met together to decide on a candidate. The lour gentlemen who had been a P" proached on the matter of contesting the se.it were each asked to address jfche meeting, and alter tins, those present recorded their votes. The selection ultimately came down to two, Messrs Hugh Molntyre and Gordon Elliot, and the latter gentleman was chosey on a one-vote majority.

There was some t.lk in Feilding during the week end, and yesterday

a Mauawatu Times representative received the following copy of a letter addressed to Mr T. Pagan, secretary to the Oroua Reform Committee, by Mr Plugn Mclntyre.:

Dear Shy—ln confirming my ~ conversation, with you,.-1 bea to put on record my protest against the peculiar methods employed in the selection of the Raform candidate for the Oroua electorate for the next election.

When I W>Ys ;i ppipaohed by the. officials of the committee, it was stated that the selection would be made by a committee, the whole personnel of >vhich was Wad over to me. I agreed to abide by the deeis'on of the nsembers of the committee. However, 1 was astounded to learn alter the meeting on Friday evening, May 2, at which the selection was made, that a number of additional member;; had been added to the committee, some as late as that evening. As this obviously violated the original conditions laid clown, and afforded opportunity for political manipulation, and it apt to lead to underground engineering, to say nothing of hole-and-corner methods, against which, and loaded die?, the Reform Party has so strenuously set its face in the past, 1 have, in these circumstances, ii(j alternative but to state that T n,m not in anv way bound by, n decision contravening both the letter and spirit of the agreement, and hold myself free as to the future to) take such steps as the best interests cf the Reform Party warrant, and should I see fit to d 0 so, to appeal for approval to the wider constituency of the electors p.t large.- Yours, faithfully, Hugh McTntyre.- Mauawatu Times).