MRS THOMSON ANGERED

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30294, 21 November 1963, Page 17

MRS THOMSON ANGERED

Remarks By Mr Connelly A “slander” was the description applied by the Social Credit candidate for Christchurch Central (Mrs L. Thomson) last evening to a statement- made by Mr M. A. Connelly (Labour, Riccarton). Mrs Thomson was speaking at a street meeting in Tilford street. About four persons attended. Mr Connelly’s comment had been quoted in “The Press,” she said. It was! “Social Creditors are political opportunists after power for themselves. not financial reformers. They are misleaders of people interested in genuine monetary reform.” How dared Mr M. A. Connelly utter such a slander of Social Creditors? Mrs Thomson asked. “He cannot know anything of the men and women .who have devoted years of service to the cause they believe in, often to the detriment of their health, their pockets and their businesses.

“Hafi Labour performed according to their promises of 1935 those same men and women would not have needed to enter the. political field; they are driven by an honesty of purpose beyond the conception ot one such as Mr Connelly.

She had been very angry at what Mr Connelly had said, she added. “I was boiling angry, not only on my own account, but on account of all the genuine, honest Social Creditors all over the country.” Social Creditors were not working for power for themselves; she had known many who had died before their time because they had given so much to the cause.

Mrs Thomson told her listeners they had been supporting a very poor system of Government for a very long time. The Social Creditors were not a normal political party, and did not denigrate their opponents. “We are not against them personally—it is the system. They are hamstrung by the system. Some of them have been very sincere in their promises to put things right, but they have not been able to because of the system.” Social Credit stood for honest Government and an honest monetary system. “If you do not have an honest monetary system you cannot have honest government,”