TO ASSIST MR. HUTCHISON.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXIII, Issue 12623, 20 November 1908, Page 4

TO ASSIST MR. HUTCHISON.

The local Opposition party recognise that in a btraight-out fight between Mr Hogan £>nd Mr Hutchison the latter would have a forlorn hope in the second ballot, and so the services of Mr Massey are to be requisitioned, and the Leader of the Opposition ij> to speak here to-morrow evening. We shall not bo in the least surprised to be told that neither Mr Hutchison nor his friends were responsible for Mr Massey visiting Wanganui at such a juncture, I and that he merely happened this way en route to the South, and thought he would put in an hour or two on the public platform. We have no objection to make against Mr Massey airing his views, and would even go so far as to say that he should be assisted from the public exchequer Juring election times, for it is only fair that the Leader of the Opposition should have an equal opportunity with Ministers of placing his views before the country. This only we would point out. Mr Massey is never tired of condemning in the most unmeasured terms Ministers for interfering in local elections, and it seems somewhat inconsistent for him now to interfere in the Wanganui contest. Mr Hogan, however, need have no qualms about the result. He has more than once expressed, similar views to Mr Massey on Ministers interfering with local elections. He strongly resented Mr Sedclon's visit to Wauganui three years ago, and has stated on several occasions since that if he could not win on his own merits he did not wish to win with Ministers' assistance, and his plucky and manly action will not go unrewarded on Tuesday next.