POLLING TAKING PLACE TO-DAY

Thames Star, Volume XXXX, Issue 10502, 25 November 1902, Page 2

POLLING TAKING PLACE TO-DAY

THE CONTEST FOR. THE THAMES

SEA.T.

To-day the general' election of members of the House of Representatives are being held and to-morrow the persoitno! of the new Parliaiment will be known, throughout New Zealand. It is not anticipated that the Government will lose many Beat®, for the absence-■ of an opposition: policy—in fact the absence of a properly organised opposition—must''tell grea/t'y in favor of the present occupants of the Ministerial chairs and Goveniimeint seats. In isolated cases—such as

Waitemata,, where Mr E. W. 'Alison should 'secure election—and Waihi— where ti is expected that Mr W. H. Herries will succeed—Opposition members miay be returned, but the alteration of the boundaries-of the electorates has in some cases brought this about. In some cases candidates have classed themselves as Independents, but in moist cases, this, is but a cloak to cover up their opposition.

A feature of the present campaign if; the number of candidates standing in the Liberal and Labor interest, and from this, it wof.ild seem, that the Labor legislait ion of the present Government —"which, was a few years back one of the strongest planks in their political platform—:«■ not progressive enough for the labor organisations, a.n<| that again a party distinct from the, Government (a labor party pure and simple) is intended toi be formed. Thus history repeats'? itself, and the predictions made some years back (that the consolidating' of the ■ ranks of Labor would be used by what is known as the Progressive Labor party as a. lever against the very Government that gave them, so much political power) "niais proved to be correct in. every detail. ■ .

The occupants of the. Ministerial benches have in some instances to fight-out an election. The Premier, the Hon. R. J. Seddfin, has a walk over for Hokitika, Mr F. W. Isitt having beem nominated merely to ..save' the local option poll being- declared null and void if half the electors on the roll do not poll. Sir Joseph Ward, the Colonial Treasurer, is being opposed for Aw&rua by Mr Waddell, a Pro'hiibition.ist—presumably to arouse interest in. the local option poll. The Hod. Hall-Jones (Timaru) is. being opposed by Mr F. 11. Smith, a straight out Opposition candidate, . but the odds are supposed; to be greatly in favor of the Minister for Public Works. For Oa.in.axu the' Hon. Mr Duncan (the Minister for Lands) has several candidates in. opposition—Mr .T. M. Brown, am Independent; Mr J. A. McPhersony Government, who will probably not go to the poll; and- Mr H. B. Crawford, Opposition. It is expected that the Minister will be returned; by ja siubsfainltiijal majtotnlty.' Here, as is well known, the Hon. J. McGowa.n (Minister for Mines) is being opposed by Mr W. H. Lucas, Secret a.rv of the Miners' Union> whoi ia standing as .a. Liberal-Labor candidate, the principal plank of opposition! to the present administration amd present representative being in connection! with the miningl legislation. The Hon. I. Carro 1!'!, the popular member for Waiapu, will have a wa.lk over for his district, his opponent also being Mr Isitt, who was no^ minated to secure a. local option poll.