A RECORD MAJORITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19150, 16 October 1925, Page 13

A RECORD MAJORITY.

MR. COATES IN KAI PARA. OBJECTIVE OF COMMITTEE. CONSIDERATION FOR OPPONENT. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] DAEG AVILLE, Thursday. Hie election contest in Kaipara is being fought in a good spirit. The Labour candidate opposing the Prime Minister is Mr. W. E. Barnard, who is speaking at ( Pukehuia to-night. The. only means by ! which a number of the settlers and Public j Works employees had of hearing him I speak was by travelling by rail, as the roads at this time of the year are not fit j to travel over. The Prime Minister, as | Minister for Railways, consequently issued i instructions that a Public Works train j was to run on this section of the railway and thus gave every settler and worker a chance of hearing Mr. Barnard speak. The hitter's committee has publicly thanked Mr. Coates for his thought fulness. Final arrangements have, been made for a civic welcome to Mr. Coates on his arrival at Dargaville to-morrow from the South on his first visit to his own electorate as Prime Minister. Great- interest is being taken in the visit and very elaborate preparations are. being made to give him a fitting welcome. Mr. Coates will only be four days in the district and is booked to deliver eight- addresses and also to unveil a soldiers' war memorial at Te Kopuru. Mr. Barnard has already practically completed his tour of the southern portion of the electorate and is at present busy in the vicinity of Dargaville, whore he will deliver his main address on October 29. The Prime Minister's election committee is well organised and is determined to make Mr. Coates' majority a record one for the Dominion. SOUTH ISLAND TOUR. MR. COATES GRATIFIED. ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTIONS. [By TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] ! WELLINGTON. Thursday. The Prime Minister returned to Wellington this morning after his strenuous j tour of the South Island. Interviewed ' on arrival. Mr. Coates expressed his highest appreciation of the cordial, friendly, and enthusiastic receptions which he had met with everywhere in the South. He particularly appreciated the courtesy of the public as a whole in turning out in such, overwhelming numbers at his meetings. "Right throughout," said the Prime Minister, "there was not a discordant note, the people in the South Island thus showing an evident keen desire, to hear at first hand an exposition of the i Government's policy as enunicated in the manifesto issued at the close of last session." Mr. Coates remarked that he had been deeply impressed with his southern tour and he concluded by expressing the sin- i cere hope that ail political leaders would j have the same unbiassed consideration ex- i tended to them when addressing the New j Zealand public as he himself had re- j ceived. To-morrow the Prime Minister will leave for his own electorate of Kaipara. j QUARREL WITH MINISTER. | i MR. McGRATH AND MR. McLEOD j DEMAND FOR SUBSTANTIATION, j I [BV TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] | WELLINGTON, Thursday, j Regarding the remarks of the Hon. A. ' D. McLeod, concerning Mr. McGrath. j Nationalist candidate for Wellington I North, Mr. McGrath telegraphed to the I Minister: —"Unless I hear to the contrary I shall assume the Press Association message published here this morning respecting your references to me in your speech at Kaiapoi is correct, and will deal with the same at my Kelburn meeting on Friday." The Minister replied: "Regarding my reference to you at Kaiapoi, which you state has been published by the. Press Association, if that message follows the report of my speech as i! appeared in the Christchurch Press, it should have read that your friends were told definitely that if vou stood for Wellington Central yoi; won Id have the support of the Reform Party behind you. My statement was in reply to your very unfair reference to myself in regard to fusion and 'squatocracv.' Our long and intimate association should have protected me from personal attack from you. If necessary, 1 can produce several of your friends who approached both myself and the Prime Minister for our organisation's friendly interest should you stand for Wellington Central, which I may say was readily given. The omission of the word friends' may have conveyed an impression not intended by me. as i never personally discussed the position with you. 1 trust that in any use you may make of this telegram vou will be as fair as I have endeavoured'to be to all political opponents." Mr. McGrath replied: "Your tele- j gram only aggravates the position. The | statements made about me in the press j and telegram are untrue. You must i either promptly prove or withdraw them, j or take, the consequences." CAMPAIGNING AT THAMES. CANDIDATES' ACTIVITIES. [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] THAMES. Thursday. The four Thames candidates are campaigning in various parts of the country -lis trie Is this week. Mr. T. W. Rhodes addressed we'd attended meetings at Miranda and Maramartia yesterday. At both places he rereived votes of thanks and confidence. He has had successful meetings in the western portion of the electorate. Mr. A. A. Ross, the Country Party's candidate, is meeting n measure of success in the country districts. At Ngatea -, n Wednesday night there was a fair attendance and the candidate received a rood reception. At Orongo on Tuesday night almost the whole of the settlers we're present and the candidate received hearty reception. A vote of thank's ind confidence was carried. The other two candidates have also been active. A f the last election Mr. Rhodes ban a majority of 750 votes. The indications tre that this support will again be forthcoming. TARANAKI NATIONALIST. A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE.