THE EDEN CONTEST.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 65, 19 March 1926, Page 5

THE EDEN CONTEST.

m DEPUTATION OF WOMEN. ASK FOB RECONSIDERATION. MISS MELVILLE DECLINES. A deputation of women, headed by Mrs. E. A. Kidd. waited on Miss Melville in her office yesterday afternoon, for the purpose of asking her to reconsider her decision to contest the Eden peat. Over a score of women were present. Miss Melville said she had not the least intention of withdrawing- from the contest, and alleged that the Reform party had not kept faith with, her She would make certain irregularities public at the meeting which she is tc address this evening in the Avondale Town Hall. Mrs. Kidd, introducing the deputation said the women were present either a; electors of Eden or as members of vari ous women's organisations. They knev the opinion of the majority of members and deplored Miss Melville's decision tc stand as an independent candidate, especially in view of her pledge not to stand in opposition to the selected candidate. The deputation was not concerned with the party aspect except in so far as it prejudiced the prospects of representation of the interests of women and children directly by a woman in Parliament, by losing women the confidence of the present Government, and of all thinking men and women. "Pome of us have worked for your candidature in the past, and are quite willing , to work for you in the future, as we are quite unanimously in favour of our interests being represented by women in Parliament,"' said Mrs. Kidd. She added that the deputation included some .of the women delegates present on the night of the selection, and women from several sections of the Eden electorate. All sections would have been represented had time permitted. A great body of women outside the electorate earnestly joined with the deputation in desiring that Miss Melville's candidature for Parliamentary honoure should lie dissociated from any action likely to lose women the prestige for which they, as well as she. had made so many fights in the past. Mrs. Turner supported Mrs. Kidd. endorsins her remarks, and urging Miss Melville as a woman to honour her { pledge. Mrs. Routley, speaking as a supporter of the Reform party, asked Miss Melville to stand down, pointing out the danger of splitting the Reform vote. Mrs. Jones, of Edendale, said she had voted for Miss Melville at the selection conference, but she had no course open to her now but to oppose her, as Miss Melville had broken her word. Mrs. Annie White expressed the opinion that in -ghe interests of women's movements, Miss Melville should abide by her word. Mrs. Marshall Laing, also a delegate to the Selection Committee, thought Miss Melville should stand down. ■ Major Annie Gordon, Salvation Army social worker, said that the women among whom she moved regarded seriously the fact that a woman in public life should, give her word and not keep it. Major Gordon was not coneraed with the matter from a political loint of view. Had Not Given a Pledge. In replying, Miss Melville said she had 10 intention of changing her mind. She iad not, in fact, given any pledge. What •he had given was an undertaking—a :ontract between two parties. When broken on one side, tha.t contract was no longer binding. In the first place, the Reform party had not kept faith with her. Everything that transpired in the delegates' room on the night of the selection was in order, she believed, but there were grave irregularities preceding that date. Those irregularities would je made public when, she addressed her meeting at Avondale. "1 know the inside of politics, and the working of the Reform executive, and know a good many things of which you ladies are ignorant," said Miss Melville. She went on to quote from a number of letters encouraging her to contest the Eden seat. She declined to name the writers. Messrs. L. E. Rhodes and W. J. Tate, who were present as supporters of Mis 3 Melville, then addressed the delegation, at Miss Melville's request. Later, Mrs. Kidd thanked Miss Melville for receiving the deputation, shook hands, and the women withdrew. Mrs. Kidd informed the ''Star" that members of the deputation held a meeting afterwards, at which the opinion was expressed that, if Miss Melville persisted in her present attitude, they could not be associated with her in any way in the future, and further, thought ft only right to make public their decision in that respect.