WHAT HAPPENED IN GARDEN OF EDEN

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 3288, 6 March 1926, Page 10

WHAT HAPPENED IN GARDEN OF EDEN

Eve's Version of the Story

COULD NOT LEAVE EXCEPT UNDER GUARD

The text of the remonstrance drawn up by Miss Melville on behalf of the disappointed nominees for selection as the Reform Party's candidate for Eden, as published in the “Auckland Star," Is as follows:

“We submitted our names as candidates —eight of us in .all, including Sir James Gunson. We received, on last Saturday morning, a telegram instructing us to attend at the Kozte Theatre, Mount Albert, at 7.45 on Monday evening. We presume that Sir James Gunson received a similar telegram. As soon as wo were admitted to the theatre we were conducted upstairs and put into a room, which we were not allowed to leave during the whole of the evening except under guard. “Before the organiser left the room, the names of the candidates for selection were put into a hat, and were drawn out to ascertain the order in which they were to speak to the meeting. Sir James Gunson was not present with us. We did not see him. When we asked the organiser was Sir James going to appear,, he replied that he had not seen him for a fortnight—and did not even know whether he was in Auckland, that he had not seen him. “Like a Common Criminal.”

“The names of the candidates were put into a hat, and I drew them out by request. The order in which wo were to speak was: Mr L. E. Rhodes, Mr W. J. Tait, Mr T. J. Fleming, Mr S. Oldfield, Sir James Gunson, Mr D. B. Russell. Miss Melville, and Mr Bertram Bunn. When the names had been drawn, the organiser left tho room, locking the door as ho went. Here was the Mayor, the chief citizen of Mount Albert, locked up in a room in his own borough, like a common criminal. Mr Tait, Mayor of Awndale, told the organiser before the names went into the hat that he wished to withdraw his nomination, but he was not allowed to leave the room notwithstanding, but was forced to remain locked up during the whole of the ballot, although he was no longer an interested party. The organiser said that if he allowed him out he might speak to somebody! "Some considerable time after we had been locked in a messenger came along, unlocked the door, and summoned the first speaker, locking the door again as he went out. The candidate, having delivered his address to the delegates, was escorted back and locked in again, and this went on until all had been taken along to speak one by one. You never saw seven madder people than we were-—except that We laughed at ourselves for being so foolish as to allow ourselves to be treated so. “After the fourth candidate had spoken, and been returned to the prison, there was an interval of a quarter of an hour, when we presumed that Sir James Gunson, whoso turn it was ,was addressing the meeting. W e were afterwards informed that this was the case. But he was not sent into the room and locked up with the rest of us after he spoke—he was allowed his liberty. "While Sir James Gunson was speaking the rest of the candidates signed a written protest against the preferential treatment accorded to him. This protest was taken out by Mr Russell when it came to his turn to be released to speak. Mr Russell handed it to the chairman, who said: ‘Mr Russell, we will take up this matter afterwards.’ “Prisoners” Pile Out. “When the last speaker was return ed to the room, instead of allowing the door to be locked on us again, we filed out in a body, headed by myself. Wo. walked into the audience chamber and entered a united protest against the treatment that had been accorded us. This was before the ballot was taken. However, we were again returned to our imprisonment while the ballot was being taken. “After a further spell of imprisonment, lasting about an hour and a half, Mr Oldfield and I were asked to appear again before the delegates. On reaching the platform Sir James Gunson joined us. That w r as the first time any candidate had seen him that evening. I “Then the chairman announced that Sir James Gunson had received a majority of the votes and was therefore the selected candidate. I came I second in the ballot and Mr Oldfield third. We want that made plain. Pledges Repudiated. "Sir James Gunson then returned thanks for his selection. I got up and said that I regretted very much the way the proceedings had been conducted, and I announced that, in view : of those proceedings. I did not consider myself bound by any undertaking I had given the Reform organls- ] ation. Mr Oldfield endorsed that ab-1 eolutely, and also stated that he held himself to be unbound. “The organiser, Mr Davey, then got up and said that the disappointed can didates were disgruntled and ‘not sports,’ and that they had cast a re flection on the selectors. Both Mr Oldfield and myself explained the position to the meeting, and in very emphatic terms too, and we asked, the meeting did it consider fair treatment from their own party to men | and women who had fought for the, party in previous elections. We also stated that we did not cast any reflection upon the integrity of the meeting." The Organiser and Sir Janies. The following statement was added by Mr Oldfield, in th e presence of the j others: — [ “When we got out of prison we found that Sir James Gunson had arrived before 8 o’olook, and had tm-

I mediately sent word to the organiser that he was in attendance. During the evening l , while the second candidate in the list was speaking, th e organister came out into the street and spoke to Sir James for several minutes. As soon as the third speaker was finished Mr Davey came to' the ; bottom of the stairs and sent a messenger across to Sir James to tell him Ito come in and address the meeting. As soon as Sir James had made his speech he came outside and stood by his motor —in a position where it was possible for him to hear the other candidates’ speeches whilst the rest of us were locked in a room, like criminals.” [Miss Melville has definitely announced herself as an Independent candidate for Eden. She was next to Sir James Gunson in order of selection by the meeting of delegates.] Sir J. Gunson’s Attitude. Sir James Gunson. when questioned regarding the complaint of the rejected Reform aspirants for the Eden seat, declined to make a statement. He said he was not responsible for any grievance the malcontents might have. He had carried out all that had devolved upon him, and had appeared before the delegates. Fleming Pledges Support. Mr T. J. Fleming, on e of the rejected aspirants, disassociates himself .from the public protest made by othlers, and pledges his support to Sir James Gunson. Protest Ridiculous. The Reform Party organiser (Mr Davy) says the malcontents' protest is ridiculous in the extreme, and the charges have no foundation in fact The candidates could have gone into the street and joined Sir James Gunas the door leading to the street was open. The reason for locking the other door was to keep the public out, not Uxa candidates.