MAYOR SNUBBED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23157, 1 October 1938, Page 14

MAYOR SNUBBED

INVITED JO_ PRESIDE CANCELLATION LATER PARTIALITY ALLEGED ' r " "INSULT TO CAMBRIDGE" [BY TELEGRAPH —OWN correspondent] CAMBRIDGE, Friday Following an invitation 10 days ago from the Waikato branch of the Labour Party to take tho chair at the- meeting of the Minister of Finance, the Hon. W. Nash, at Cambridge to-night, the Mayor, Mr. Edgar James, was telephoned to last evening and told that the executive had no confidence in him as chairman and did not consider he would be impartial and that another chairman would be appointed. "I keenly resent tho imputation and consider it an insult not only to me, but to the people of Cambridge, who elected mo Mayor of the town," said Mr. James to-day. He added that during the past year ,he had presided at meetings addressed by the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, the Hons. H. T. Armstrong, W. Nash and W. E. Parry, and Mr. J. A. Lee. Although openly connected with the National Party as chairman of the Waikato branch, Mr. James he had always maintained a strictly impartial attitude in the exercise of his mayoral duties. After several of the meetings referred to above he had been congratulated by officials and members of the Labour Party for his fair attitude. He had always appealed for a fair hearing for the speaker.

SEQUEL AT MEETING AUDIENCE'S RESENTMENT GENERAL UPROAR ENSUES CHAIRMAN'S DIFFICULTIES [BT TELEGRAPH —OWS CORRESPONDENT] CAMBRIDGE, Friday The feeling of a large section of the audience against the Labour Party s action was evident at the meeting tonight, at which the Hon. J. E. Duncan, M.L.C., of Te Awamutu, took the chair. Before the Minister of Finance, the Hon. W. Nash, began to speak, Mr. W. Moore, a member of the Cambridge Borough Council, asked to be allowed to make a statement, but was refused permission amid a general uproar. "We want the Mayor," was heard 'from a number of places. Mr. Duncan endeavoured to introduce Mr. Nash, but could not make himself heard for a considerable time. "We have every right to appoint our own chairman," said Mr. Nash to an interjector. No further reference was made to the question.