REPLY TO MR MANTON

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 14 April 1928, Page 8

REPLY TO MR MANTON

Of.\G.AN(.SEiVS STATEMENT

"A HEAL LIVE FORCE

Caustic references In tl><' i'oforn Party made by Mr F \V. Manton. Do minion chairman of Mm United Poli tieal Organisation, «vre replied t«> 01 Wednesday bv Mr K. A. .hum's. Domin :on Secretary" of the Political Reforn League (states "The Post").

"1 have-no desire,"' said Mr James. "to measure swords politically with a gentleman for whom I have a great deal of respect and sympathy (non-po-liticallyt. but I am,Jx>nnd to say that Mr F. W. Manton, who now stands revealed as the chairman of 1 hi- United Political Prirty Organisation, is likely to be sadly disillusioned in his ideas. and to find himself a much discredited prophet, when the numbers no up at

the General Election. T have no intention of criticising either the sayings or doings of his party organiser beyond celling attention to certain facts which, in my judgment, materially affect Ihe position. After resigning his position as the Auckland organise)- of the Reform Party (with whom, by the way, lie had neither legitimate cause for grievance nor sufficient. grounds for offence), he issued that very remarkable manifesto of his in the Auckland 'Sun', which was described by thai paper as a movement heralding 'either a reprisal or a revolt, or better still, and probably nearer the mark, a combination of both moods and motives.' 11. that manifesto Mr Davy declared in pursuance of his avowed vendetta against the heads of the Reform Party Organisation (the Prime Minister and the Hon. A. I) MeLcod) that, if the Socialistic Labour Party controlled New Zealand after llie 1923 election it will be 'because the present Administration is the only alternative.' On tiiat false premise he began a movement intended to disintegrate the party to which he repeatedly assured me lie was loyally attached, and the principles of which he had espoused and accepted prior to his joining the party's organising staff.

GLORIOUS VISIONS op COX QUEST"

. "Mr Davy also stated that the supporters of the new movement in politics were 'SO-50 Reformers and Liberals.' He has managed to secure, in. what used to be called the 'sillv season' for

newspapers, a. good share of publicity, and I have no doubt has inspired those associated with him with glorious \isions of conquest. and incidentally also 'spoils for the victors.' 1 cannot, how ever, believe that -any organisation founded as his has been on false pre mises is likely to succeed in leading this country info better ways and more peaceful times industrially than il is enjoying at present. Yet. with a great flourish of trumpets, we have been, informed on Mr Davy's authority that 'United Party candidates are to contest every seat in the Dominion in the amiable (?) endeavour to keep both .Reformers and Bolsheviks out of Parliament.' If Mr Manton has not changed the views 1 know he formerly held on the subject, T am satisfied he is just as'anxious as I am and as 1 have been fighting for years past to do. to keep the latter out of office, and T know he would work hard to save the country from the Socialists. But his organiser's plan, and the United Party's pinpose, will surely tend to bring the Socialist Labour Party within measurable distance of the Treasury benches, If it does not actually assist to place its members there.

NO SHIRKING OF ISSUES "We have 53 members in the House of Representatives, all of vvliom are Reform Party supporters, and so far as.-I am aware, every one of tliem will again go up for election next November, but should any retire we are ready to nominate other candidates in their stead. It is, moreover, the party's intention to contest, wherever possible, every sent held by our opponents, not even excluding United Party candidates, as we have no intention of shirking the issues they have raised. "By the way. under what designation are we to class them? They have posed alternatively as Liberals, Liber-al-Labour, Nationalises, the United New Zealand Political Party Organisation (the 'U.N.Z.P.P.O.V,* as the Christchurch 'Sun' satirically named tliem). the United Party, anil now (Mr Daw's latest designation) the Third Party. "Mr Davy's bid to secure the support of our Parliamentary nieml e.s has failed, as also his 'SO-50 Reform and Liberal' boast. For while he exultantly announced a week or two that the first United Party candidate bad been duly accepted, and later on stated that another candidate was receiving the party's backing, in both -cases it turns out that, the gentlemen so selected stood as supporters of Mr G. W. Forbes, the Nationalist leader in 1925, and both suffered defeat—Mr Yv. J. Proadfoof by some 1540 votes and Mr Lye. ex-member for YVaikato. bv over 900 voles "PLENTi" OF KICK"

"As Dominion sctretarv of the Reform League. 1 tjnnk 1 can reasonably claim to know more about its and doings than either Mr M ant on or Mr Davy, and I can assure the former that, notwithstanding the mendacious

statements made concerning it and the parly supporting it. it is still a r.-al live force with plenty of kick in it, and vfar fiom "disintegrating so rapidlv t!r:! it is impossible to locate them' ' (how much like my friend, Mr Daw. that, sounds), we have quite a few surprises left for our political opponents, and are not likely to quit the political arena or disappear, as the parly organiser fondlv but vainly imagines we shall do."