LABOUR SPEAKER'S SLIP

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19298, 10 April 1926, Page 12

LABOUR SPEAKER'S SLIP

CITY COUNCIL ATTACKED. MIR. MASON'S CRITICISM. MR. BLO.ODWORTH IN REPLY. What might have been a" serious " split "• in tho Labour Party was averted last night afc Mr. 11. E. Holland's Mount Albert election meeting by good humour and tact. The candidate, Mr. H. C. R. Mason, in attacking tho Auckland City Council, unwittingly attacked tho chairman of tho meeting. -Mr. T. Blood worth, who is a member of the council. Mr. Bloodworth acknowledged his share of tho blame and' did not retaliate. Mr. Mason, who entered the hall late in Mr. Holland's speech, contented himself with giving a local- instance of tho need for an active Opposition. The bill authorising the construction of tho waterfront road to Orakei, he said, authorised the local bodies concerned to raiso unlimited loans by special order without consulting their ratepayers. That this extraordinary provision had been included was due to the fact that there had been no opposition in the City Council, which had functioned as an autocracy and a mutual admiration society. A small group of men had been able to work the whole thing behind the people's backs. It was autocracy imposing its will on the people. "I feel somewhat nervous," remarked Mr. Bloodworth, rising when Mr. Mason had sat down. "I happen to bo a member of tho 'mutual admiration society,' and so I am one of the guilty. Howjever, tho Act Mr. Mason has mentioned was as much tho work of Sir James Gunson's brain as of anyone else's." (Laughter.) , Mr. Bloodworth added that as a city councillor he knew and liked both Miss Melvillo and Si." James Gunson personally. He had worked with them for six years, and in that time he had never known of any disagreement between them. There would be none r now but for the fact that they could not both sit on one seat. (Laughter.) "U there is one thing worse in tho world than a conservative man," said Mr. Bloodworth, "it is a conservative woman —and I know this particular lady to be a conservative woman."