EDEN BY-ELECTION.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 67, 20 March 1926, Page 14

EDEN BY-ELECTION.

WHY MISS MELVILLE STANDS.

ALLEGATIONS OF TRICKERY.

KEPORjM "CLIQUE" IN THE CITY,

-TACKED" MEETINGS OF PARTY.

W hen the allegations made by Miss Ellen Melville and Mr. S. Oldfield at a • crowded meeting in the Avondale Town , Hall last night in relation to the methods i followed in arranging for the selection of * a Reform candidate for Eden are con- j sidered, the matter of the alleged locking | up of the defeated candidates on the night of the ballot becomes merely an . episode. Last night's meeting was most , enthusiastic, the lady of the story being , most heartily applauded, and at times loudly cheered. Miss Meiville told her audience that she would give them a plain, unvarnished tale, which would cause them grave consideration as members of "our great i party —the Reform party." She claimed to be a staunch Reformer, and to have inherited her political faith from her father. The "Herald" had patted her on the back a good many times —but ' they were not patting her so gently now. (Laughter.) Her Grey Lynn cam- [ paign had met with the entire approval of the Reform party, which had used her name from one end of the Dominion to another to try and show that the Government was genuine in its desire to work for the women's movement. It was good propaganda. A Woman Might Win. Grey Lynn was a hopeless seat from the RJeforin point of view, and she was under no delusion about this and told i the organiser so. They said: "A man can't win Grey Lynn for Reform; per- < haps a woman can." (Great laughter.) j She replied that no Reformer could win i the seat in such a Labour stronghold; 1 nevertheless, she was prepared to go into j a hopeless fight if it were a winning one. i(Applause.) She was accorded the most I wonderful enconiums, and they even ' made lyrics about her. (Laughter.) She ' had told them she would win Manukau ' for them, if they gave her the selection, ' hut they refused, and afterwards Mr. Coates said: "You should have had ' Manukau, and you would have won it." < Just before the election, said Miss Mcl- ' Tille, she was told by a very prominent ' Reformer that if she didn't win Grey Lynn she would be given a safe seat : next time. That was from a gentleman very high in the Reform party. A Voice: Give his name. A " Safe Seat" Promised. Miss Melville said she" might do that later. The same gentleman said on the night of the election: "We must find Miss Melville a safe seat at the first opportunity." Well, now was the "next time," and now tho opportunity. (Applause.) "I sjiy I have been tricked aud deceived by people inside my own p-arty," she declared. "The party is not just a little coterie of business men in the city —we are the Reform party—the rank and file. (Applause.) In January I saw the Prime Minister, and in regard to Eden, I told him I did not intend to stand aside for a certain very exalted person—whose -name was being mentioned. The Prime -Minister said the matter would be decided by the people of Eden, and that if I submitted my name to ballot I would get a failrun. I expressed considerable doubt as to whether I would get a fair run, but the Prime Miiinster said I could take 3iis word for it." "How, No Funny Business." "I was asked when I came back to [Auckland would I sign a pledge. I said: 'No, I will sign no pledge whatever' —I did not believe in that sort of thing. The paid organiser spent a lot of time and enery getting mc to sign. Finally ( I was foolish, but I had the assurance of the leader of the party) I signed an undertaking. They were not nearly so interested in mc from the moment they got mc to sign. (Laughter.) But, even though I signed, I was not sure of it. I said to the paid organiser: 'Now, look, if there is any funny business (loud laughter and applause), or if there is any irregularity, I will not be bound —so you watch yourself, because I will watch you,' (Renewed laughter and applause.) That is not my usual method of expres_ion," explained Miss Melville, "hut one talks to people according to their own expression. , "I was told on the word of honour of the organiser that a certain exalted ' gentleman would not face the ballot -•election. The organiser said 'He is not game,' and I said: 'I am game'," (Loud laughter and applause.) Miss Melville then read the Undertaking she had given, which, was that she "would not be a candidate if she was not selected —but only on condition that tlie selection was carried out according to the constitution of the party. • The irregularities. The constitution of the party, said Mies Melville, provided that when delegates were to be appointed for a selection committee, meetings were to be held throughout the electorate. She said without the slightest hesitation that no such meetings as those stipulated were held. The meetings were advertised for "urgent and important business," and many people did not know that they were to select delegates, so that many did not come along who would have come if.they had known. That was an absolutely fundamental irregularity. At these meetings the names of well-known Reformers were mentioned and they were thrown out, and utterly unknown people, who had never before been associated with Reform were selected as delegates. Then again, at tho meetings, the people were told that if they did not vote for all the names on the list—up to 26—their votes would be informal. They were not allowed to "plump." There waa no rule to make such a method compulsory, or to prevent people voting for as many os as few candidates as they liked. Ready-made Minister Wanted.. "I have a suspicion that the whole proceedings were 'arranged'," said Miss [Melville, who went on to say that a large number of meetings were held before there was any vacancy for the Eden seat announced. There were further irregularities. In one instance it was stated that they, wanted a candidate who was qualified for Ministerial rank—to go into tho Cabinet straight away (some hooting)—that Eden had a Cabinet -Minister and wanted to have another. After th c . r selection some of the delegates were asked who they favouredand it was not the right candidate. The organiser said: "If i llad , know _ t] . yon would ot have been nominated » 'fThat was from tho paid organiser— and the Prime Minister had given mc word that I would get a. fair run"

said Miss Melville, who, at a later stage, however, exonerated Mr. Coates from any knowledge of the extraordinary tactics pursued in the Eden selection. The organiser had asked. "Axe you for so-and-so?" and when the answer of a prospective selector waa "No," the organiser said "Well, we don't want you." (Laughter.) An interjector remarked that Miss Melville was not helping the party, to which the lady retorted that she was, although she was not helping a certain little select clique within the party. Miss Melville then told the story of the locking-up at the Kosie Theatre. That was the "last straw that broke the camel's back." (Laughter.) The key was most ostentatiously turned on them. While there was an element of humour about it, it was not appreciated. (Laughter.) At this stage an in-terjector was roared down hy the audience, which seemed to be almost entirely with the speaker. "A Certain Titled Gentleman." Miss Melville stated that it was said in Wellington weeks before the selection that it waa fixed up for a certain titled gentleman to be the Reform candidate for Eden. "That is what I am up against," she declared. "I am up against caucus rule in the Reform party. I say we are the party—and not a little coterie on the inside. Everyone in Auckland knows that little coterie." (Applause.) A Voice: Are they elected? Miss Melville: No; 1 do not know how they hold office. I say this thing has to stop, or the Reform party will go to pieces. (Applause.) The name of Reform has been degraded, and its honour placed in the hands of those who had no regard for it, in this case. "What the Prime Minister Said. At Wellington the Prime Minister said to a gentleman in her presence, "Miss Melville thinks she has a claim on our party. Of course she has, for her great work at Grey Lynn. But she is afraid her head will be cut off by the party machine before she gets to the people." Miss Melville said: "'You have put it in a nutshell, and that is why I do not think I will get a fair run." They tried to get her head off, but they didn't quite, for she was still able to talk. (Laughter and applause). Referring to the deputation of women which waited on her to ask her to withdraw, Miss Melville said that all people who read that day's "Star" would get their full 2d worth. She thought it was a most despicable thing for any political group to work the women's movement in such a manner to mislead the people. The women who came to see her were simply being used as tools by a political group. "Beneath Contempt." She did not blame the ladies; she had no doubt as to their personal bona fides, although she thought they should have been broadminded. She had done much work for the women of Auckland—and now certain political influences turned around and tried to use that against her. It was a thing beneath contempt. (Cheers). All kinds of inducements had been presented in order to get her to retire, said Miss Melville. Yet the Prime Minister had said that no one would be more pleased than he to see her in Parliament and see her just ambitions on the road to realisation! (Laughter). She entirely exonerated the Prime Minister, who apparently did not know, of what had been going on in Eden for the past few months. In conclusion, Miss Melville said she did not ask special consideration because she was a woman, but she did not want it to be counted as a disability to be a woman, because that was no longer a disability in a civilised country. (Cheers). Mr. Oldfield's Support. Mr. S. Oldfield, who, with two other defeated candidates for the selection, Messrs. Tait and Russel, occupied the platform, thoroughly endorsed Miss Melville's action and asked for support for her. He said that he had told the organiser that he considered the ballot had been rigged for a special privileged person, naming Sir James Gunson, and he expressed the opinion that the other candidates would not get a dog's chance of selection because the meetings to elect delegates had all been "packed" in favour of that particular person. He challenged all, and the organiser in particular, to disprove that, the meetings called for the election of delegates were according to constitution; that the meeting at Mount Albert was properly conducted; that the Other candidates were riot locked up, whilst Sir James Gunson was allowed his liberty; that Sir James Gunson had not been in a position outside the Kosie Theatre to hear all that went on inside; and to deny that preferential treatment all along was not given to Sir James Gunson. The speaker suggested that ■ Sir I James Gunson should be induced to retire, for he had never worked for the Reform party, and the candidature should be given to those who had foueht for it. s After several questions had been answered, the meeting carried the following resolution: "That this meeting accepts unreservedly the statement of Miss Melville, corroborated by other candidates for the selection, and pledges itself to support her candidature to the utmost, feeling confident that she has a prior claim over all other aspirants to contest the Eden seat, and feeling, satisfied that she can and will worthily fill the duties which must fall on our representative in Parliament." This resolution was carried with much enthusiasm, after which there were loud cheers for Miss Melville, and counter cheers (with some hoots) for Sir James Gunson.