CLUTHA ELECTION FOR JANUARY 18

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, December 4. The Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) and the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Nash) have agreed that the Clutha election will be held on Saturday, January 18. Nominations will close on December 23. These dates were announced by Mr Holyoake tonight after discussion with Mr Nash. Earlier Mr Nash had said that the date for convening the new Parliament might be affected by the Clutha election. It is possible that Mr Nash is considering calling Parliament to meet on Monday, February 4. It. would then be possible to rearrange the present itinerary of the Queen Mother for her to open the new Parliament.

The closing date for nominations, December 23, gives the National Party adequate time to consider the position caused by the presence of a Nationalist and an Independent Nationalist among the Clutha candidates. Before the General Election it was recognised that the National vote would be split between these two —the sitting member, Mr J. A. Roy, and Mr W. G. Caldwell. The 1954 majority of 3490 was, however, considered large enough to make the seat safe for National. Labour leaders hoped that this division would allow Mr B. R. S. Waters to win this traditionally National seat. Mr Waters, whose death during the campaign caused the abandonment of the Clutha election, was regarded by Labour headquarters as an outstanding candidate.

Meetings This Week The question of the National candidature in Clutha is likely to be considered at a meeting of the Dominion executive committee of the National Party in Wellington on Friday. Tomorrow there will be a Parliamentary National Party caucus which Mr Roy is expected to attend. . Among others attending the caucus will be the defeated candidate for St. Kilda (Mr J. G. Barnes), who was the Junior Government Whip in the last Parliament.

The selection of candidates for the National Party is normally a matter for party branches. There is, however, a move in the National Party to attempt to secure the withdrawal of Messrs Roy and Caldwell and to make Mr Barnes the official National Party candidate. Mr Roy has firmly denied that he has any intention of withdrawing.

Mr Caldwell said in a telephone interview tonight that his committee met last night and asked him to carry on as an Independent candidate unless Mr Roy would agree to withdraw also, with both their names going forward in a postal ballot among National Party members in the Clutha electorate. The person receiving the most votes would then 1 stand as the sole National Party candidate. Mr Caldwell said the reason for his standing as an Independent was a “split in the party” on the method of selection of a candidate.

‘T represent the side which broke away,” he said. “I cannot stand down in favour of Mr Roy, because I have to be fair to my supporters and my committee.” Mr Caldwell said that, so far as he was concerned, there was “nothing personal in it.” “Quite Firm” He said he was quite firm that he would stand unless some arrangement as suggested, which he believed to be in the interests of the party, could be made. He realised, he said, that the Clutha election had become more important because of the closeness of the General Election result, and he was worried about the situation. He was convinced that the solution he outlined would eliminate any chance of the National Party losing the seat. Mr Caldwell, aged 58, is a sheepfarmer at Greenfield, 20 miles from Balclutha. Under the electoral law those candidates nominated for the Clutha electorate in the General Election do not need to be nominated again in the election to be held on January 18.

Selecting Of Labour Candidate

(New Zealand Press Association) DUNEDIN, Dec. 4.

The Clutha Labour Representation Committee will meet at Balclutha on Saturday to discuss the calling of nominations. It is most probable that a farming candidate will be sought, but the selection will be in the normal party manner by a committee of six comprising three members of the local electorate and three members of the party’s national executive.