THE GRAND FINALE
PREMIER’S TOUR TRIUMPHANT CONCLUSION AT AUCKLAND MERRY TIME WITH HECKLERS (Special to the Times.) Auckland, November 13. It was a wild night but a great night that the Prime Minister had this evening to bring his election campaign to a triumphant close. With characteristic gameness, Mr. Coates chose three Opposition strongholds in which to deliver his final messages and never once losing his impertubable smile he faced organized hostile gangs who yelled and booed and tried to break up his meetings. But he beat them all including the bus loads of hecklers who came to Onehunga with the avowed object of giving him such a hot reception that he would be unable to speak. They tried counting him out but he ridiculed them by telling them they did not know how to do it. “If you want, to know how,” he said, “watch and take the time from me,” and again “Oh, you’ve got to take it, I know it -is getting under your ribs but by the time 1 have finished with you you will be eating out of my hand.” Mr. Coales is no mean prophet. He held the audiences at Glahuhu, Onehunga and Avondale at any tune he chore to speak of the Government policy and performance. At Otahuhu one enthusiast for the United Party tried to talk about surpluses and the repayment of the war debt and another who espoused Labour interjected with an unintelligable remark about income tax and Customs and then proceeded merrily to applaud his own efforts, some others joining him. They tried a weak attempt at counting out but the remainder of the audience were not going to have that and they drowned the noisj’ ones in vociferous cheers. Then the Prime Minister as it was took the interjectors by the hand and showed how the surpluses of the war years had been used on soldier settlement and public works and tnose of recent years in the reduction of the war debt. The Customs dues had been reduced not raised and income tax had been reduced from the 8/9 at which it was left by the Liberals to 4/6 and while he talked he had absolute silence and carried away with him a motion of thanks and confidence.
At Onehunga where those who could not get into the hall crowded around his car, Mr. Coates received the wildest of receptions and then when he got the gangs quietened down stirred them into action again by quoting Sir Jcwph Ward’s declaration that the United Party would support the Labour Party in any attempt to put the Government out of office. “There is the combination,” he said. “The Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward and Harry Holland, Labour and United tied together so you know' now where you are. It is definitely a case of a vote for United being a vote for Labour. All the moderate people will have to be with us.” (Cheers and cries of “no!”) Outside the crowd was having a demonstration of its own and was struggling about the doors trying to force a way into the hall. To drive it home Mr Coates repeated his remarks concerning the union of United and Labour. “Oh you can boo and you can hoot, but you have got to recognize that fact,” he said. “Who told you that, Harry Holland?” the Prime Minister asked when an interjector said a big contract had been let to an English firm for the supply of smokeless fuel. “It is a fact,” the interject or said. “Look here,” said the Prime Mniister, “is there anyone here who really belisxes that we have let a contract in Englund for smokeless fuel?” A few cries answered “yes!” and when the Prime Minister pressed for something more definite there was a wild yell of “yes!” "Well, you are the most incredulous bunch of people I have ever seen,” the Prime Minister retorted. Somebody outside flung in a question about the fuel. “Hullo, there is another man out there who has sw’allowed the bait—hook, sinker and all,” Mr Coates said amidst laughter and cheers. He stated plainly that in the tenders which were being invited for the supply of the fuel it was specified definitely that all coal used must be New Zealand coal. “That one was much better,” Mr Coates said when the back seaters with less volume but more in concert counted him out when he insisted that on the criticisms of his opponents the Government must be as perfect as it was possible to attain. Mr Coates was cheered again and again above the counter demonstration as he left. It was a hard fight to reach the cars to get away to Avondale, but stalwart constables cleared a way. Avondale’s meeting was the greatest held there. The Government’s supporters let the oppositionists understand they would not be allowed to have things all their own way and they greeted Mr Coates with round after round of cheers, their volume outweighing that of the interjectors imported for the occasion. Mr Coates was given a most attentive hearing owing to the strength of his supporters, but after they had carried a vote of thanks and confidence they gave the interjectors a turn by leaving them alone to demonstrate according to their kind.
Earlier in the day Mr Coates visited the Evelyn Firth Home where he talked pension matters with the returned soldier patients in conversational style on the verandah. He was assured of their good wishes in the contest. Several hundred men at the Purewa railway construction camp gave him a great reception and let it be known that they appreciated what the Government has done to improve the conditions of work and of living in the public works camps. Mr Coates returns to Wellington to-night.
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Bibliographic details
Southland Times, Issue 20642, 14 November 1928, Page 7
Word Count
969THE GRAND FINALE Southland Times, Issue 20642, 14 November 1928, Page 7
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