MUNICIPAL BYE-ELECTION AND MR ALSWEILER'S REPLY.

Southland Times, Issue 17654, 11 February 1916, Page 2

MUNICIPAL BYE-ELECTION AND MR ALSWEILER'S REPLY.

To the Editor. Sir, —Mr Alsweiler has demonstrated the weakness of his case in his so-called reply to our statement, and he would have been wiser to have kept out of print if he has no better justification than that given in his letter appearing in your issue of oven date. To deal with his contentious statements seriatum, v/e will first take his reference to the Labour Representation Committee as not holding the confidence of the public. NVc have yet to discover any Labour organisation, worthy of the name of Labour, which holds the confidence of that elusive quantity known as the “public.” As a matter of fact the L.li.C. do not set out to be all things to all men, but they do try to be true to the cause of Labour, and judging by the result of their efforts at the municipal election last April they then had the confidence of Labour, although they did not have the support of the public, and on next polling day Mr Alsweiler will probably discover that the public have less confidence in him than they have in the L.R.C.

Mr Alsweiler then winds up another involved statement with the sentence : “And any statement made that I would abide by the result if 1 was not a candidate is absolutely untrue.” In this Mr Alsweiler follows the example of all enemies and opponents of Labour in that lie first puts a statement forward with the incorrect inference that it emanated from Labour and then proceeds to demolish it. Tlie L.R.C. never made the assertion as Mr Alsweiler contorts it, but they did make a statement that Mr Alsweiler agreed to submit his name to a fresh selection and that Jie promised if a. fresh selection was carried out he would abide by the result and sup-

port whoever was the chosen Labour candidate. AVe have quite a number of the committee whose veracity is at least equally as dependable as that of Mr Alsweiler who are positive in their support of this undertaking having been given by Mr Alsweiler.

Mr Alsweiler then goes on to tell of the advice he received from his Labour friends, etc. In this regard it would interest the public to know whether his Labour friends were also friends of Labour. Further Mr Alsweiler also is aware that the fact that it was alleged that too many outsiders were present at a previous selection was the excuse given for dissatisfaction then. AA o would like to know if Air Alsweiler wanted to have bur meeting on the sth inst. thrown so wide open that all his friends and supporters could have come along and made sure of his nomination ? The L.R.C. were determined that the meeting on the sth inst. would he confined entirely to those who were properly entitled to be present, and the attendance at that meeting was such as to discount any untrue inference that we are not representative of organised Labour.

AVe regret that a man who lias been so long associated with the Labour movement as Mr Alsweiler should have lent himself to the designs of those who are opposed to the Labour cause by permitting tlie counsels of disrupters to influence him in taking a step he will regret when lie lias the leisure to contemplate it from all points of view. The L.R.C. can conceivably get along without the assistance of Mr Alsweiler, but Mr Alsweiler will discover that a Labour man who chooses to defy organised Labour will get little sympathy from his former comrades, and he will also find that those who are opposed to Labour will not do much for any man against whom there is a suspicion of being a deserter instead of a convert from his former associates. —AYe are, etc., INVERCARGILL LABOUR REPRESENTATION COMMITTEE. 10th February.