REFORM'S S.O.S. CALL.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 269, 13 November 1928, Page 12

REFORM'S S.O.S. CALL.

PROGRESS OF UNITED CANDIDATES. WAITEMATA NOT A LABOUR SEAT. MR. GREVILLE AT NORTHCOTE. \ An audience of some 300 electors in the theatre at JCortheote gave the United party's candidate, Mr. R. H. Greville, a splendid hearing last evening. The Mayor, Mr. A. E. Greenslade, presided. Frequent applause punctuated the candidate's remarks and at the close the applauee was prolonged. A vote of thanks and confidence was accorded the candidate by an overwhelming majority amidst enthusiasm.

Mr. Greville said the Reform party on the previous day had sent out a S.O.S. call to the Prime Minister because they were on the run. Mr. McLeod was fighting for his life and other seats where the Prime Minister had spoken recently were in jeopardy. Yet they found him scurrying up here. No one would be persuaded that he could be of any assistance to the Reform candidates for City East, Grey Lynn and City West., He had come up here because the United candidates were getting a good run and to help his Labour friends, as Reform would rather see Labour win than the United party. The Reform party's advertisement advised electors not to swap horses. Where the horse happened to be a donkey, however, they had ao choice, said Mr. Greville. Reform had mounted on a donkey and animal had such proclivities for jibbing that no other course was open than to swap for a horse. With few exceptions the United party would vote to put Reform out, b,ut that did not mean that they would vote to put Labour upon the Treasury benches. No Government should be in power which represented an extreme class, whether Reform or Labour. The United party was the logical successor of the Liberal party, and the best liberal in New Zealand was its leader to-day. (Applause.) The Labour party, in putting up candidates for seats where there was no chance of winning, was simply perpetuating Reform in office. He would etrongly emphasise to every sane worker that Waitemata was not a Labour electorate and never would be. A vote cast for Labour, therefore, would be a vote for Reform. The fight in Waitemata was between the Reform candidate and himself, not between Reform and Labour.

Sir Joseph Ward was the only man in New Zealand politics to-day capable of leading this country to prosperity, and the alternative to continuing the policy of drift for the next three years was to vote for the United candidate.

The candidate was asked how he reconciled the inclusion in the United party of the president of the Protestant Political Association, which had shown such relentless opposition to Sir Joseph Ward in the past?

A Voice: They just made it up. (Laughter.) The /candidate replied that Mr. Stallworthy realised the question of religion, had to be brushed aside, as in the present circumstances there was only one man capable of restoring this country to prosperity, and that was Sir Joseph Ward. He admired Mr. Stallworthy for his broad-miuded attitude, which proved he was not the prejudiced bigot that some people wished to represent him to be. (Applause.) .

He favoured a transport board lor the North Shore. His advocacy of the harbour bridge had resulted in a oplendid advertisement for the project, and every candidate around Auckland to the far north had pledged support \during the Parliamentary campaign. The result was that the bridge was than a possibility—it was a certainty. (Applause.)