THE ROTORUA SEAT.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXXII, Issue 2766, 24 August 1931, Page 5

THE ROTORUA SEAT.

CONFERENCE A FAILURE. COUNTRY PARTY AND REFORM. A conference between delegates from the Reform Party and the Country Party was held at Putaruru last Monday night with the object of endeavouring to come to some understanding in regard to the contest for the Rotorua seat at the next election. Mr McDonald, of Rotorua, occupied the chair, and - there were nearly sixty present, the delegates from each party being fairly evenly divided. Amongst those present were Mr D. R. F Campbell, Country Party candidate, and Mr H. E. Vaile, Reform Party candidate, both of whom addressed the meeting. . Soorf after the meeting commenced it became clear that there was a marked cleavage in the views of members of the two parties present. The chief stumbling block was a refusal by Mr Vaile to bind himself to voting against Mr Coates if a no-con-fidence vote was moved on the question of a reduction in tariffs, , Mr Vaile stated he was strongly in favour of reduced tariffs, but the change could not be brought about at once. There were a large number of speeches, but the conference proved abortive, the members of the Country Party being ready to accept nothing but a straight-out unqualified pledge to secure an early reduction in tariffs at all costs.