Comment By Mr Cockburn

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29365, 18 November 1960, Page 14

Comment By Mr Cockburn

“The Press” Special Service INVERCARGILL, November 17. “It is almost amusing that Mr C. J. Speight has gone to such length to justify his failure on the occasion of the recent New Zealand Meat Board election,” said Mr D. H. Cockburn, of Invercargill. Mr Cockburn. who defeated Mr Speight in the election, was replying to criticism of the board levelled by Mr Speight at a Federated Farmers meeting and in an interview on Monday. In his criticism, Mr Speight said that meat co-operatives "have got a stranglehold on the electoral committee of the Meat Board and, using that hold, have got themselves two members on the board.” Mr Speight said that through lobbying in the electoral commitee the co-operatives could “get whoever they want put on the board.” He said examples were Mr John Andrew, a P.P.C.S. director, and Mr Cockburn, who was nominated by Messrs J. Downes-Roherts and Tom Davies, both P.P.C.S. directors. “When the outburst was made by Mr Speight at the Federated Farmers meeting.” said Mr Cockbum, “I feel it was rather beneath my dignity to enter into an acrimonious argument on the matter. To me it appeared extremely por that a defeated candidate should resort to such tactics. “There are but few members of the electoral committee who are directly associated with the co-operatives. Therefore. Mr Speight’s assertion that the college of 25 members is under ‘stranglehold’ is not borne out. The college. I believe, is an unbiased body, held in high regard by the sheep farmers of New Zealand,” Mr Cockbum said.