KEEN MAORI ELECTION

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1074, 11 September 1930, Page 7

KEEN MAORI ELECTION

TE PUEA ASSISTING MR. P. TE H. JONES IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT Special to THE SUN HUNTLY, Today. Mr. Pei te Hurinui-Jones, the Young Maori Party candidate in the Western Maori electorate, is at present actively campaigning in the constituency. Though Te Rata Mahuta, the Waikato King, will not take an active part in the by-election, in accordance with his promise to the late Sir Maui Pomare. that ho would not interfere iu the electorate until negt General Election, Princess Te Puea Herangi, bf Ngaruawahia, is stated to he supporting Mr. Jones, who is a descendant of .the noted Ngati-Maniapoto chieftain, Te Hauauru Poutama.

Princess Te Puea exerts a great deal of influence among the tribes and Mr. Jones is fortunate in having the princess, who is a cousin of Te Rata Mahuta, iu agreement with his candidature.

Mr. Jones was in Huntly yesterday and left for Waiuku, after paying a visit to Waahi Pa, the headquarters of Te Rata Mahuta. He reported

j good progress. Being of the Ngati- : Maniapoto tribe, he is assured of solid support in the Waikato district. The ; presence of Princess Te Puea in the campaign has served to heighten interest, particularly in the Auckland section of the Western Maori electorate, as the princess has taken a leading part in social work among the i tribes in recent years. ' By the time polling day on October S is reached, the interest will be at , fever heat in all parts of the elecitorate. CAMPAIGN TOPICS ORGANISERS OPERATING IN ELECTORATE MANY CONFLICTING REPORTS P The news that Princess Te Puea is supporting Yr. P- te Hurinui-Jones is interesting; coming as it does at a ! comparatively early stage of the cam- ; paign. From now until polling day i Mr. Jones will be able to pay a good ; deal of attention to outside districts, notably in the southern area of the electorate, being assured of a large amount of support in the Waikato district. Meanwhile, the other candidates are beginning to enter the campaign with much more vigour, and Mr. H. H. Piahana, the Reform candidate from Tauranga, has been especially active. He has just returned to the Tauranga district after a successful tour in the South.

Not much credence can be given to a report of Taranjfki origin that the three Reform candidates —Mr. Piahana, Mr. Taite te Tomo, the Taupo leader, and the Rev. R. T. P. Haddon, of New Plymouth—would be prepared to withdraw from the election should Mr. Rakaheuea Pomare, younger son of ; the late Sir Maui Pomare, contest the 1 seat. Mr. Jones was also mentioned in this connection, but it does not seem likely that Mr. Pomare will stand, as Mr. Jones and Mr. Piahana have been actively campaigning. ; Some weeks ago, another son of Sir Maui. Mr. Naera Pomare, said he would contest the seat were there no division of Reform Party interests. ORGANISERS’ WORK Mr. Hone Tamahana, organiser for the Young Maori Party, has been ; visiting several parts of the electorate, and another development is that Mr. Taite te Tomo has an active organiser in the Wanganui district in Mr. Rang! Marumaru. Mr. A. IT. te Mete is still seeking definite word from the leaders of the Ratana movement concerning his candidature, and in some circles it is thought extremely likely that the chieftain of the Nga-Rauru tribe, Mr. Rima Wakarua, will enter the contest. At present the position of some of the candidates is extraordinarily uncertain. There have been conflicting reports concerning Mr. Jones, for instance, though his position has been consolidated by the announcement that Princess Te Puea is working in his interests. Mr. Jones has been variously described as an Independent, a United Party and a Young Maori Party candidate. Actually, he represents that alert and young school of thought, the Young Maori Party, and it is hard to explain the statement recently made by Mr. Marumaru, Mr. To Tomo’s organiser, that the executive of the Ratana movement had been approached by the United Party’s supporters to work in the interests of Mr. Jones and not to nominate a Ratana candidate. But the most significant remark made in the campaign so far has been from Mr. Marumaru, though it is likely to annoy Maori elders. It is: “I am perfectly satisfied that the. time has come when our educated and more successful young Maoris should be placed as? leaders of the tribes in political questions.”