AN EXPLANATION.

Southland Times, Issue 18984, 19 November 1920, Page 2

AN EXPLANATION.

To the Editor. Sir,—Would you kindly allow me sufficient space to combat a very misleading statement which has been widely circulated throughout Southland by some person who is a total stranger to the truth. The facts are briefly these. Two delegates are required to represent Otago and Southland at the Annual Conference of the New Zealand Workers’ Union to be held in Wellington in June next, and three men have been nominated—two from Dunedin and one from East Gore, thus causing a ballot to bo taken during the present season. With the malicious intention of enhancing the position of the city men at the expense of the country representative from Southland the rumour has been extensively circulated that Mr A. J. Middlemiss, shearer, of East Gore, was withdrawing from the contest owing, it was alleged, to serious illness in bis family, and that the best thing for members to do would be to vote for the two Dunedin men. Now, sir, as the foregoing statement is devoid of truth and is likely to cause a serious misunderstanding among members of the N.Z.W.U. in Otago and Southland industrial district, I crave your indulgence to give it an emphatic denial and further call upon all country members to show their contempt for such tactics by recording their first choice in my favour as the only country members of the three.—l am, etc., ANDREW J. MIDDLEMISS. East Gore, November 18.