SLIGHT RUFFLE

Southland Times, Issue 22729, 4 November 1935, Page 6

SLIGHT RUFFLE

POLITICAL CANDIDATES. ARGUMENT OVER WAR.

The toast of “Parliament” was productive of a slight ruffle at the annual re-union of the Post and Telegraph Employees’ Association on Saturday night. A remark made by Mr D. McDougall, M.P., in responding to the toast, was challenged by his Worship the Mayor (Mr John Miller), who is the Nationalist candidate for Invercargill, when he proposed the next toast, and so emphatic did his Worship become that he forgot to call for the toast to be honoured.

Mr McDougall said the Government called Nationalist was not really so, because the Labour Party was not included in its ranks. However, in the last war Labour had been pushed into the trenches, and the same would happen if Mussolini and Hitler came. When the Mayor rose to propose the toast of “The Post and Telegraph Department,” the next on the list, he said it was nonsense to say only Labour had gone to the Great War. There was Colonel James Hargest, the member of Parliament for Invercargill, one of the finest soldiers who had fought, the Minister of Finance, Mr Coates, and the Hon. W. Downie Stewart, who was now suffering from the effects. The best blood in England, Scotland and. Wales had been poured out. His Worship then sat down, but was reminded of his omission and said; “I am sorry, gentlemen, but I was .so anxious to get that off that I overlooked it.”