WELLINGTON CENTRAL.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14893, 16 October 1918, Page 1 (Supplement)

WELLINGTON CENTRAL.

MR P. FRASER ELECTED

LARGE MAJORITY.

GOVERNMENT CANDIDATE THIRD

(United Press Association.)

Wellington, Oct. 3

The by-election for Wellington Central | was held to-day, with the following result :— • P. Fraser ... ... ... 2668 M. J.Mack 1044 W. T. Hildreth ... ... 784 ,H: Atmore... 185 L. J. F. Garmson ... 29 1 C. W. Tanner ... ... 9

Mr Peter Fraser, the successful Labour candidate for Wellington Cent'ralj is a native of Ross-shire, Scotland, having been born:in that county in 1884. Ho imbibed advanced political opinions at an early age (says th<s ■'Worker"), his father being an advanced Radical and Land Leaguer. He got his first conception of Socialism in the form of collectivism, from Robert Blatchford's '-'Britain for the British." He participated for" some years in the activities of the County Radical and Liberal Association and in the Land Agitation. Early seeing the futility and hypocrisy of Liberalism, he joined the Independent Labour Party in. London, in 1907. Coming to New Zealand, he took up membership in the Auckland branch of the Socialist Party, serving one term as president. He was also president of the Auckland General Labourers' Union during the successful strike of drainage workers against subcontracting in 1911. He represented the New Zealand Federation of Labour in Waihi during the strike of 1912. Mr W. E. Parry, president of the Miners' Union (now national, secretary of~ ;the Miners' Federation) had been gaoled. In 1913 at -the.''Unity .-.Congress he was elected national secretary of the Social Democratic Party, and held that ;posi • tion for two'years, after which he acted another six months as organising secretary, until owing to the difficulties of tiie war period the ..party's organising operations had to be curtailed. Sine« then Mr Fraser has followed the occupation of waterside worker until a few months ago, when he took up the duties of acting-editor of the "Maorilnnd Worker," succeeding Mr H. E. Holland, who relinquished the editorship on his election as member for Grey. During the 1913 general strike,Mr^Fraser;was arrested along with'-'Messrs Holland Young, Semple, Bailey, and Barker, and confined to the Terrace Gaol for three weeks on remand, bail being refused. In December 1916, Mr Fraser was arrested on a charge of violating the War Regulations in the course of a speech in which he opposed conscription. In company with Mr T. Brindle, he was convicted :>.nd sentenced to one year's imprisonment, which he served in the Terrace Gaol. Mr Fraser is at present president of the Wellington branch of the Social Democratic Party.