MR JOHN STEVENS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7447, 23 May 1911, Page 9

MR JOHN STEVENS

(To the Editor “ N.Z. Times.n Sir,—To my amazement 1 have read a paranranh in your rnrsonal cn.unin to-oay in which it is stated that Hr John Stevens, ex 31. P. for Jlanawatu. will not bo a candidate at the next elections °'T ln " JP tailing health.” The author ot this misstatement ha.s drawn upon his own imagination. A wish may ho father to Ilia erroneous belief. Let me assure vour readers that in'- ordinary health is to-day far better than it was when 1 contested the last election for Olanawatu. and_ such being the case, it is my full mention to contest the next scat, with this proviso. As my loyalty to the Liberal party will ; never allow mo to jeopardise an existing Liberal. seat, if the boundaries of the present Manawat-u electorate are bo changed ae to practically throw one-half .into. Otaki and a large portion into Rangitikei--eacli of which seats are ro-.rcscntcd hv Liberal members—! shall ‘ certainly not jeopardise, either of the feats by contorting an elco-, tion against either one or other of the members, irrespective o f the second ballot. Therefore, when the .Electoral Boundarv . Commissioners have completed their Ira*! portant work, the electors of Mauawatu will have a clear and definite statement from mo as to my intention. Your informant as to the state of mv health can V'-est be described by a couplet from Kipling’s “Paget, M.P.": K.P., was a liar and a fluent liar therewith, He ta’ked o p the heat of India as an Asian solar myth.” And mv “failing health" is equally nv-thi- * cal. When the time arrives I shall he fully prepared to step into the political j arena with a Liberal stiletto to meet any f Opnosition bull who may roar about the iniquities of the Government, and eu- . de-avour to show that the Government of ; a country or the construction of a -olicy cahnot be achieved by mere denunciation j such as is being promulgated at ♦ho "resent fine hy the morehu of the Tories and : Conservatives who have the audacity to claim that most of the Liberal legislation recently placed upon the statute-book was initiated by them. Trusting that you may bo p’eased to give tho fullest publicity to this contradiction to the false statement to which I here refer.—l am, etc., JOHN STEVENS. Cluny Park, Kay 20th.