THE MAYOR'S OUTBURST.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19889, 28 March 1930, Page 12

THE MAYOR'S OUTBURST.

ANONYMOUS LETTERS.

authenticity doubted.

Anonymous correspondence recently appearing in Christchurch newspapers drew strong comment from tho Mayor (Mr J. K. Archer) when speaking at Mr H. T. Armstrong's meeting at Sydenham last night. "You have all noticed tho anonymous correspondence in the newspapers," said Mr Archer. "I can sajy that these letters are the dirtiest in my experience of public life. I have been told —1 have no proof of it—that many of them are written in the newspaper offices by men in the employ of the newspapers. I don't know if that is true, but I have no conception of a decent editor adopting such a policy. They are fakes and frauds, and full of vile insinuations, and they are libellous, though perhaps not legally. "My view is that no man should be allowed to publish under a nom-de-plume what he would be afraid to publish under his own name. These letters are dirUy" gutter-slush, and I cannot imagine that voters in Christchurch —and I am sure not in Sydenham —are such empty-headed fools as to take any notice of them. April Ist is a funny day to have an election. One of the candidates will be an 'April fool,' but it won't be Armstrong."

"I want to deal with this insidious correspondence," said Mr H. T. Armstrong when he rose to speak. "In two daily papers it has been appearing for the past week every day, and I wouldn't like to say that the letters haven't all been written by the same man. They accuse me of throwing mud. Now when have I thrown mud in this or any other campaign? If I can't maintain my place in public life without throwing mud I will get out of it. Then there is the suggestion that I am being paid for organising in the Labour movement. Since I have been a member of Parliament I have not received one penny piece for those services. I have only one paid job, and that not very well paid either. The other side can't understand a man giving such a service without payment. "I was nine years a member of the City Council and ten a member of the Harbour Board, nd I haven't got paid for attending a meeting yet. There may be good times coming."