PROHIBITION ISSUE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 13 November 1928, Page 4

PROHIBITION ISSUE

HON. O. J. HAWKEN’S ATTITUDE. PLEDGE KEPT TO ALLIANCE. A misconception which lias arisen concerning the alleged failure ot the Hon. O. .1. .Hawken to fulfil a pledge with regard to the bare majority on the prohibition question was responsible for a cail at the “Hawera Star ' office to-day by the Taranaki president of the alliance, Mr. E. Dixon, with a request that the correct position he published. “I wish to state that Mr. Hawken has kept his pledge to the Alliance, ana the misunderstanding arose through anj 'error in a circular letter.” said Mr. Dixon. _ The misconception first arose when a circular letter dated November 18, 1927 was sent out by the area secretary’ from Wanganui and distributed in the Taranaki electorates. That circular gave the voting of Messrs v). i J. Hawken, H. G. Dickie, E. Y\ alter, and C. E Bellringer that session on ithe Licensing Bill. Votes in favour othe triennial poll and the tw-o-issue ballot paper were recorded by all four, and in favour of the bare majority b\ •ill except Mr. Hawken. The circular went on as follows: “Regarding Mr. Hawken, it should be noted that although pledged to the bare majority he did not cast his vote in that direction.” , That the statement was maae m error was shown hy a letter forwarder! from Wellington by the general secretary to Mr. Dixon on August 30, 1928, which stated (inter alia): ‘ ‘The statement that Mr. Hawken was pledged to the bare majority is not correct. Correction on the part of the area secretary was given in a circular letter distributed from Wanganui on September 3, 1928. That letter acknowledged that the statement that Mr. Hawken was pledged to bare majority was not correct, though the error was quite unintentional -being based on a return received in 1926 purporting to show the answers given by members of 1 arimment to questions submitted py the Alliance prior to the 1925 election. •‘Subsequent investigation showed that, the return was of a condensed nature only, which did not show the reseivations made by Mr. Hawken and was not intended for general distribution, continues the circular. ‘ lv, it was not until August 1928 that the error was discovered, although reference to the “Taranaki Daily News of November 2, 1925, will show the published statement of the New Zealand Alliance of the replies given by Mr Hawken, in which the qualification on the bare majority is clearly stated.”