Interest is Growing in Hutt By-Election

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 840, 7 December 1929, Page 15

Interest is Growing in Hutt By-Election

LEADERS TO SPEAK FEELING RUNNING HIGH From Our Resident Reporter WELLINGTON, Today. With each day public interest in the Hutt by-eiection grows more intense. Polling day is yet over a week away, but ail three candidates work untiringly in their efforts to gain the voters’ ear, open-air meetings being frequent and all parties having made heavy engagements for the remainder of the campaign. The Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, Mr. Downie Stewart, Mr. Holland, Messrs. Mason. Jordan and Langstone, of the Labour Party, as well as a majority of the United Cabinet, are billed to speak within the next few days. Feeling is now running rather high over statements made by the three candidates, the Reform candidate, 'tr. H. Johnston, having gained the antipathy of the Labour camp by his charge that the Parliamentary Labour Party is Socialist-ridden, and if successful in gaining the Treasury benches will make a raid on the deposits in the Post Office Savings Bank. Mr. Nash, the Labour candidate, hotly denies that this is the intention of his party, and in turn has roused the ire of the United and Reform camps by taunting them with hypocrisy regarding unemployment and the Civil Service “cut.” Mr. J. Kerr, United candidate for the seat, has commenced a series of recriminations by charging the Labour Tarty with a prearrangement in connection with the motion introduced by Mr. Holland in the House relating to the Civil Service salaries and accepted by Mr. Forbes as a motion of no-confidence. This has led to do nials not only from the Labour Party, but also from Mr. Kerr’s own sup porters. In addition, Mr. Kerr has caused trouble by Introducing whaT his opponents regard as personalities into the contest, and this in view of the fact that he was the first candidate to state that he intended to fight a clean contest, is deeply deplored by his supporters.