CITY COUNCIL IS TRAINING SCHOOL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18548, 23 August 1928, Page 5

CITY COUNCIL IS TRAINING SCHOOL.

MANY MEMBERS WILL CONTEST ELECTIONS.

As a training school for Parliamentary candidates the Christchurch City Council probably lias no equal among the local bodies in the Dominion, and according to present indications about half of the personnel of the council will take their places on the hustings during the coming general election campaign.

Two members of the council. Messrs H. T. Armstrong and D. G. Sullivan are already members of Parliament., and the Mayor, the Rev J. K. Archer, Mr E. H. Andrews and Mrs E. R. M’Combs have been selected as Parliamentary candidates. In addition to them Messrs Clyde Carr and F. R. Cooke are in the .selection ballot for the Labour nomina-

tion for the Timaru seat, and Mr J. W. Beanland has been asked to.stand for the Kaiapoi seat in the interests of tho Reform Party. It is not unlikely that one or more of the remaining councillors may j'et decide to seek Parliamentary honours, and under these circumstances it may lie found very difficult to carry on the meetings of the council during the height of the election campaign. I Of the councillors who have not yet entered the political arena, this year, there are two—Mrs A. E. Herbert and Mr M. E. Lyons—who have previously been Parliamentary candidates, and Messrs R. M. Macfarlane and J. \V. Roberts, were unsuccessful candidates for the Labour selection ballot for the Riecarton seat. Messrs A. W. Beaven, P- W. Sharpe, O. Manning, G. R. Hunter and T. H. Butterfield are the only members of the present council who have not so far felt the call &o servioo in the wider field of general politic-* All the present Christchurch members of Parliament have served on the City Council, and Mr 11. S. S. Kyle (Riecarton) and the Hon D. Buddo (Kaiapoi). have had local body experience. Mr J. M’Combs (Lyttelton) was a member of the City Council for some years.