‘A night with the Jones boys’

Press, 13 February 1981, Page 9

‘A night with the Jones boys’

PA Wellington In a big effort to raise funds to fight the General Election this year, the National Party will call on a trio of entertainers who will tour the country soon, providing the star attraction at prestige dinner funptions for party, members. The trio ehosen for the task is an unusual one in that it won’t be dancing or singing. . The party has brought together Mr Dail Jones, member of Parliament for Helensville, Mr Norman Jones, member or Parliament for Invercargill, and Mr Bob Jones, the Wellington property tycoon. Their performances, to be called “A night with the Jones boys," will be mainly the after-dinner speech variety but, Mr

Dail Jones said, the emphasis would be on fun. “There won’t be any heavy speeches on the economic situation,” he said. However, it is believed that it is the party’s economic situation and the prospect of a hard-fought and expensive election campaign that led to the American-style proposal. The party last month called a meeting in Wellington of all electorate chairmen. They heard pep talks by ithe Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) and the party’s president, Mr G. A. Chapman. But most of the meeting was devoted to planning the Jones trio’s tour. Nobody in the National Party seems quite sure just how much will be charged to hear them, but Mr Dail Jones did not

deny suggestions of about $lOO a plate. A similar dinner was staged by,the Timaru electorate last year and went off successfully. Mr Jones, one of the guests, said it attracted more than 300 party members. The tour will begin in northern electorates early next month, and the Jones trio will gradually work their way south. Little towns will not be ignored, and the itinerary at this stage looks to be quite a workload, with several dinners and performances squeezed into one week. “What we will be talking obout will depend on events at the time but the basic message will be the same,” Mr Jones said. “It will be a National Party fund night but people will be aiming to have a good time.”