THAT BALLOT.

Northland Age, Volume 25, Issue 28, 29 October 1925, Page 4

THAT BALLOT.

(To the Editor) ■ Sir, —May i crave space ; > reply in a few words to the i. inuations against me container in a letter signed “Black Wit h,” which appeared in your last ; ,sue. Had that letter appeared in a paper circulating in a distn -i in which lam known 1 woul not j have troubled to reply at al', but as I am unknown to many ot your readers 1 cannot let it pass, iowever, I will merely content myself ; by saying that the suggesti n of ] string pulling and trickery at--1 tributed to me in connection with ! , the ballot taken for the pu-pose ; of selecting the Labour cam -date for the Bay of Islands seat s ab--1 solutely baseless. 1 was a iproached about eighteen months ago : and asked if I would ent rtain the idea of standing in the L lbour interest, and was again as' ed a few months ago if 1 would allow : myself to be nominated for -.election, and this i consented to do. Vly nomination was sent for yard, 1 but through some informa ty it

uui suuic uiiuinm ly n was not accepted, and I 1 nderstand that th§re was son - in- | formality in connection with Mr. •Bowen’s nomination also, w h the result that fresh nomination w =re i called for, anil Messrs If >wen, - Jones a id I were nominate 1 and ! a ballot taken. So fir as was concerned I did not sol ; c :t the ; support of one member c f the 1 party, and did not lift my hand 1 or do anything whatever to : jcure : the selection. So fare’s the statement that I was an arden supj porter of Mr. Reed at last el clion I is concerned, 1 certainly di . supI port Mr. Reed, because 1 ..d no

! option and simply chose be ween ! two evils. 1 have never b .t an ardent supporter of Mr. Reed, and he, Mr. Reed, knew quite well that for the last two elections prior to this one I woo’d not have voted for either Refo'm or Liberal had there been anything else to vote for. I am, etc., A. E. BISSET, Labeur Candidate.