MR SULLIVAN AND "THE PRESS."

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18525, 29 October 1925, Page 11

MR SULLIVAN AND "THE PRESS."

j. to :si.r2.'Tos o? "r~.z rsrss." j Sir,—lf "Tie -Press' believes the; vara told i: by the writer slccing himself "Avon Elector," under the head- ; ir.g e: "Labour Fictions'' in to-day's j issue of the paper, it will believe ar.v- i thing—again:: a Labour man. e; j courre. j I did net say that "all the papers of | ! the Dominion-wore bench" bv rh c To™ | ' Government and r>aid jirce sum? t"->! ' publish such ar:kks" as that ta wideh j ' yeu attacked me .-- ,? 3 y or two ago. j 1 My whole reference to ihe matter!' w.-'S to The whole p:j S -, b-uf-nagc. and!' quarter-page, advertisements, " ' :vlr Coates and the Eeform 'Part-.- and • abusing the Labour Partv; the'space i bought for the purpose and the c'aor- ! mous cost <>}' the propaganda, whi.h I ! . said was appearing in' newspaper of the Dominion. " 'i ■ I said, further, that the money for { ' this broadcasting propaganda' was'' provided by the wealthy people, to whom the Tory Government had given £3,900,000 a year reductions in taxation. It is hard to believe that vour correspondent could have made ' an honest mistake, for I!<..•> reason that I described the cartoons that, are apnea ring in the advertisements—and cartoons do not appear in leading articles. In your footnote to the letter you give credence to the silly yarn and excuse yourself because "he has repeated the- abominable misstatement concerning the mythical propcral to} cut, down -wages." I T deny absolutely that I have made j any misstatement in connexion with j the proposal to cut down wages. What I have done at my meetings is to read the Prime Minister's manifesto relating to family allowances, wherein lie states that "proposals to meet the difficulty have been put forward." I then turn 1o the Labour Department's Annual Report, presented tn Parliament by the Hon. G. J. Anderson, where proposals arc put. forward; where reference is made to the. suggestion by Mr A. B. Piddington, K.C., that 7s 6d per week should bo deducted from each worker's wages, and tho i'ollow- , ing paragraph in the Report, commencing, "fjno possible solution of the question in 2sew Zealand' would be."

in which a definite scheme is worked out, based on 7s Gd a week being taken i from each worker's wages. I give full publicity to the fact that the Prime Minister hss denied that he intends to do this, and the. only stage at which I pass from the realm of proved facts into that of opinion, is where I claim that it is the exposure of tho scheme by myself and others that has killed the scheme and compelled the Prime Minister -to repudiate it. Labour's proposal, of course, is to pay the allowances out of. the Consolidated Fund. If there is any logic left in your editorial mind undi&torted by the blinding political prejudice of "The Press," you must., realise that your hysterical denunciations ajid fierce diatribes against me in connexion with this matter arc without justification.— Tours, etc., D. G. SULLIVAN. Christennrch, October 38th,. 1925. [Wc refer to this lettcT in our leader column.—Ed. "The Press.'''] ' AVON FOR REFORM. to rax inno* .or "tkz r*Ess " Sir, —An analysis of the figures at tho 1923 Election provides good reason for believing that Avon this ■ year can be won for Reform. Mr Sullivan 'polled 4462 votes' against a total' of 55b'4 re-

corded for bis opponents. _ In other words there was a majority of 1102 votes polled against Mr Sullivan, who is really a minority representative. Tlio votes obtained by Mrs Herbert and; Col. Loach.. totalled 3138, and • those who voted then for these candidates are practically certain to vote solidly for Mr Leadley this year. It is reasonable to assume that tho great majority of the votes then cast for Mr' go this year to the Reform candidate, as recommended by Sir Joseph Ward, as there are few Liberals who would support the Socialist candidate against the clealy expressed advice of Sir Joseph. It only requires that the opponents of Socialism make a determined effort to poll every voto at their command in order to win Avon for the Government. —Yours etc., - GIRVAN.

MR FORBES'S LITTLE WAYS. TO THI BDHOB OT "XHB PSBSS." Sir, —May I be permitted to transgress cm your generosity to refer to the somewhat unfair tactics adopted by Mr G. W. Forbes in his address to, the electors of Iticcarton on' Monday evening. Mr Forbes referred -to the Reform organisation in Hurunui as organising while the party truoe was going on during the .closing hour 3 oi the late Prime Minister. How ho was given the lie direct a-t bis meeting in Amberley on Saturday night may be briefly referred to. Air Forbes had just mentioned the same words thai ho uttered at Riccarton when Mr j interjected "That's nottrue." ! Mr Forbes then held up a cutting from a newspaper as his authority adding that he did not refer to orJy Hurunui, but the whole of New Zealand the papers stated wcro organising. Anj other interjectar: "Yes, and was dej rued by 'The Press' the following I day." At question time ZMr ; asked Mr Forbes, "Did he not think •j it quite uncalled for to. publicly state what was wrong, as all Pieform organisations wcro advised to cease- all work and arrangements while the time© was on." Again Mr Forbes quoted the paper as his authority, well knowing thai, all paper reports are not correct and a procedure quite,foreign to members when debating in the House. Yet, in spite of these direct denials as far as Hurunui is concerned, lie has the | ''good grace" to again publicly refer }to the matter at Riccarton. "We have i not heard one word of policy from Mr j Forbes-—nothing but "bad administraj tiou.'' "'evil policy/' and "wanton exf penditure" of the Government, 'yet j in spite of his vehement criticism he I is prepared to fuso and join the rank [ and file of Mr Coatcs's Party. It is • like" going to a man after running him J down to the lowest and then asking him for a "job."—Yours, etc., 3 aSiberley ELECTOR.