LIVELY MEETING AT MORRINSVILLE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 245, 16 October 1925, Page 8

LIVELY MEETING AT MORRINSVILLE.

AN AWKWARD QUESTION. j M.P. IN DIFFICULTIES. i (From Our Own Correspondent.) MORRLSTSVILLE, Thursday. I Mr. C. K. Macmillan, M.P., Reform candidate for the Tauranga electorate was subjected to numerous interjections, and had to contend with several hostile questions during his address at Mornnsville. He had difficulty in answering one question, and some of his attempts in this direction highly amused the large audience. This particular question was in connection with the cut in the wages of Public servants l and the hardship clause The questioner (Mr. W. Hendry) after he had obtained an assurajice from Mr Macmillan that the Reform Government kept its promises, asked if the candidate could quote one instance where any Public servant had benefited by the hardship clause. He offered to wager jMr. Macmillan £10 in this connection. He added that lie knew of families trying to exist on £3 19/ a week. Mr. Macmillan, saying that he did not wish to put fhe questioner's £10 in jeopardy, said he would quote from the Estimates, and thereupon began to peruse the bulky bundle of printed pages. He soon declared that he could not find "details." He went on: "There's a page (A voice: "Missing.") there's three-quarters of a page —Here we are (quoting) "Albert Edward Glover—" The inquirer: He's not a Public servant. He's an MJ , . After nearly giving his quest up as [a bad job, and saying he would advertise the answer later, he commenced quoting grants, one for disabilities received in the Boer War. (Ironical laughter). He quoted others, a miner and a scout master. Were they not public services ? He was called upon to reply to several other questions. Mr. F. J. liarshall moved a vote of thanks and "congratulation to Mr. Macmillan for telling so much in a short time." A voice: Very little. When the motion of thanks was put there were loud "ayes," but loud and long "noes," it being impossible to tell, on the voices, whether the motion was carried or lost. As the meeting was breaking up with much noise, Mr. Macmillan said that on the voices the "noes" had it, but he felt that if a count were taken it would be Jβ Jfcvour lot the "ayea,"