MISS MELVILLE AT KINGSLAND

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 244, 15 October 1925, Page 10

MISS MELVILLE AT KINGSLAND

Further criticisms of the Labour party were launched by Miss Melville, Government candidate for Grey Lynn, who drew a full audience to St. George's Hall, New North Road, last evening, many people having to stand. Mr. T. Mclndoe was in the chair, and capably handled a meeting that at times was inclined to be rather talkative, a small band at the back of the hall resenting Miss Melville's references to the Labour party and its leaders. Miss Melville spoke for nearly two hours, and dominated the situation. One of her grievances against Mr. Holland's party was that it was not sincere in its solicitude for women. At the last moment the party in its manifesto had remembered that there were women voters, and had announced as a "plank" that the party would aim at the removal of all political disabilities of women. Now the only political disability under which women suffered in New Zealand was being ineligible for seats in the Upper House, but as the Labour party's avowed determination was to sweep that House away she did not see what good the party's "plank" referred to would be to women. That she considered was typical of the party's attitude to women. Another thing that made her doubt it was the fact that not one woman was nominated for a Labour seat, though many of them were quite the equals, if nothing more, of many of the men who were standing and who were in the party. At the close Miss Melville received a vote of thanks.