CIVIC ELECTIONS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 660, 13 January 1933, Page 7

CIVIC ELECTIONS.

Unemployed to Nominate Candidates. Nomination of candidates for the Christchurch City Council and the North Canterbury Hospital Board was decided upon at a general meeting of the Unemployed Workers’ Movement this week. The number of candidates to be nominated by the Movement will be decided later. The nominations will be made by a general meeting and will be balloted upon at a mass meeting of unemployed, irrespective of whether they belong to any organisation. A committee of seven was appointed to draw up a programme and platform. This is the second surprise that has been sprung on Labour circles this week, for it was announced on Monday that the Socialist Party had decided to re-enter the political field after many years as an organisation working for social reform and for propaganda purposes. It is considered likely, however, that the decision of the Socialists will be upset at a meeting to be held to-morrow week. The decision to contest the elections was reached at a small meeting of the Socialist Party and is not considered to be the opinion of the general body of members. Likely Candidates. It is considered likely that the unemployed will nominate five candidates for the City Council and three for the Hospital Board, and that several women will be selected. Among those who are said to have a good prospect of securing nomination are Mr F. 11. Grant, president of the Unemployed Workers’ Movement, Mrs Grant, secretary of the Women’s Branch of- the U.W.M., and Mr E. Hamilton. They are likely to stand for the City Council and Mrs Grant for the Hospital Board as well. The platform of-the candidates will be framed largely on the lines of the decisions of the conference of unemployed workers’ organisations held in Wellington in November. The United Front Council will hold a meeting on Monday night, when a series of questions for submission to candidates will be drawn up. It is understood that there is a prospect of candidates being nominated for the City Council by a small independent Labour group in Sydenham.