THE P.P.A.

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 82, 6 April 1923, Page 11

THE P.P.A.

FORCES TO OPERATE itf OAMARU,

(it ifiiiGßA]?n.->-i>BEss Association.)

DUNEDIN, sth April. ' Speaking of the Tauranga election, the Rev. Howard Elliott said he had been asked why Sir Jdseph Ward was defeated. His reply was that Sir Joseph Ward's defeat began five yeari ago. when the P.P.A. was formed. Qome,.people seemed to think that Sir Joseph Ward was the mm to save the country, and that he was a great financial genius, but he was not thi kind of financial genius they Wanted The return of Mr. MaoMillan ;wa» satisfactory in many ways, and the influence of the P.P.A. had been referred to very bitterly by those 'who wished things had gone otherwise. It had been a strenuous duel between Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward, and when Mr.. Massey h*d burst the balloon of the £50,000,000 of paper money ther* was little more 1 to .be said. Now it seemed Sir Joseph Ward %vas going td tour the country giving speeches, but he would never talk himself into Parliament while the P.P.A. existed.

In regard to the Oamaru election; Rev. Mr. Elliott said he had read with interest a statement by Mr. Holland that the Labour Party had not been pro^ perly organised for the last election) but that it was now ready, and that it rested with the local council td select a candidate. Now Mr. Maopherson had announced that the Labour Party was not going to run a candidate. This suggested that some agreement had been come to bat ween them.

Mr. Elliott declared tHat Labour organisers who had gone down to Tauranga from Auckland had been suddenly ordered back from Wellington. The master hand behind the Labour movement had moved. Sir Joseph Ward was not to be opposed. N6w, lor fear that Mr. Lee would be returned, Labour was to »tand aside; though it was supposed to be against Liberalism. Again, • the master hand was at work, ordering. Labour to li» low to give the forces which -were against Protestantism a chance. If Labour were consistent, it would have opposed both Sir Joseph Ward and Mr. MacMillari, but the power behind it had spoken, whose purpose was to break up the Protestant forces, which were represented in large measure by the present Government. There was need for Protestants to stand shoulder to Bhoulder to defeat that organisation. The Protestant forces in Oamaru would be in bperatiori during the coming election.