A CHALLENGE

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 90, 16 April 1923, Page 8

A CHALLENGE

I MB/ WRIGHT. TO MR. M'KENZIE.

4j"Mr;-:M'Kenaiß claims to he a (port. ijßjre is a chanco for him'to demonstrate

his- claim to the title." With thia prefatory remark, Mr. R. A. Wright, in a statement made to a "Post" reporter, threw out a challenge to Mr. L. M'Kenlie, His opponent m the campaign for thelMayoralty. : ... ...

"In spite of my direofc contradiction of the statement, ' isaid Mr. Wright, "Mr. M'Kenzie is still informing the electors that I gave an undertaking two years ago that I would not contest the Mayoralty this year if he retired in my favour on that occasion. No statement was 'ever made by m« or by any committee on .my behalf," said Mr. Wright, "either verbally or in writing, which would '■ justify Mr.. M'Kenzie in making that assertion. I do not know now his reasons for retiring from the Mayoral contest two years ago, and I certainly had nothing to do with his action. I have stated definitely ihat Mr. M'Kenzie is labouring under some delusion, but ho still maintains that I had given him such an undertaking, and I have no alternative now than to issue a challenge to him that if he can prove his statement satisfactorily, before some tribunal which wo can agree upon, I will withdraw from the present contest, but he also must agree that if he cannot prove it he will similarly retire."

Mr. Wright received the following memorandum feom Mr. M'Kenzie this morning:—"l notice your challenge in this morning's paper. I also remember that at the meeting held in the Mayor's room, at which the various committees were present, you said you could not remember being asked to come to an agreement with Mr. Hislop and myself at the last eleotion. I don't comment on that, but send you a copy of a letter received by me at that diite from the New Zealand Welfare League."

The letter referred to was forwarded to Mr. M'Kenzie by the secretary of the Welfare 'League (Mr. A. P. Harper) in April, 1921, and states, inter alia: — "Before sending the letter ire propoied I telephoned Mr. Wright, and; found Jhat he is too far committed to .agree to the submission to a committee. We have, therefore, decided that it would be useless to make the proposal." Commenting on Mr. M'Kenzie's memo- ; randum, Mr. Wright said that from Mr. Hislop's letter it was quite evident that he had telephoned him in reference to the submission of some proposal. "What this has to do with the original «tat«menfc by Mr. M'Kenzie," he said, "I am at a loss to understand. Mr. Harper's letter does not assist Mr. M'Kenzie in. the difficulty in which he finds himself placed. My statement was that'ndflier I nor my committee had ever made any promise to Mr. M'Kenzie that if he stood down two years ago for me I would not. be a candidate on the present occasion. Mr. M'Kenzie does not attempt to prove his allegation, nor is he willing to withdraw tho statement. I have aleo said that I don'fc know why Mr. M'Kenzie retired two years ago. Neither do I know now. Whatever happened between him and Mr. Hislop was never disclosed to me. All I knew was that Mr. M'Kenzie retired. My challenge, therefore, is still open."