AN EXPLANATION

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 81, 7 April 1931, Page 10

AN EXPLANATION

Referring to Mr. Luckie's statement regarding the Mayoral campaign, the president of the Wellington Ratepayers' Association (Mr. H. H. Miller), in conversation with a "Post" reporter to-day, stated that Mr. Luckie was quite right in saying that no approach had been made to him by the Ratepayers' Association. Although he had not been personally approached, the presidents of the Civic League and the association had definite discussions on the matter before any conference between the bodies took place. The president of the Civic League (Mr. Whittaker) was very definite in his statement that Mr. Luckie had been in conversation with him, and was quite prepared to abide by the decisions of tho joint conference. Apparently, from Mr. Luckies' statement, he thought that he was dealing solely with the Civic League, but it is in fact definitely understood at the conference that the owners of all names submitted were agreeable to abide by the decisions of the joint conference. Mr. Luckie, to whom the above paragraph was referred, reiterates his statement that at the only interview he had with the president of the Civic League (Mr. Whittaker) the question of submission to the decision of tho league or any other body was never even mentioned. It is to be noted that Mr. Miller does not deny, and presumably admits, that in November the Ratepayers' Association had resolved to support Councillor Hislop and came to the conference bound by that resolution of which the Civic League representatives were then unaware. "I am not responsible," said Mr. Luckie, "for what the conference 'understood,' since, as already stated, I do not even know that such a conference was to be called."