MR HARGEST AT BLUFF.

Southland Times, Issue 22730, 5 November 1935, Page 4

MR HARGEST AT BLUFF.

To the Editor.

Six’,—ln this morning’s issue of your paper there appears a letter over the signature of Mr Don McKenzie in which he says, “Mr Lopdell presided at Mr Veitch’s meeting in the Bluff some little time ago and in the course of his introductox-y remarks said ‘that though we may not see eye to eye with him in his political opinions we certainly would in our desire to put the present Government out of office’.” I wish here to emphatically deny having made such a wild statement. In my introductory remarks I did not mention the present Government. I stated that Mr Veitch was a man of considerable experience, having held Cabinet rank in the Ward government, and I was sure that what he would have to say would be most interesting and instructive. I was most careful not to mention the present Government or its policy. Mi- McKenzie was not at the meeting and has evidently based his remarks on hearsay. I might state that I was asked to chair Mr Veitch’s meeting as the Mayor, Rev. Mr Waite, had another engagement, and the Deputy-Mayor, Mr J. Doyle, found it inconvenient to preside. With reference to Mi- Hargest s meeting, Mr McKenzie says, “Anyone with any experience in gauging the feeling of a political meeting will draw his own conclusion as to why a motion of confidence was not added to the vote of thanks.” As the mover of the vote of thanks I here state that my reason for not adding a confidence motion was not because the feeling was against the speaker, for, indeed, as far as one can jud-ge, the meeting was with Mr Hargest from start to finish. This was evidenced by the repeated applause which greeted Mr Hargest’s remarks throughout the meeting. My opinion lias always been that a confidence motion does not stand for much at a meeting, but stands for everything at the ballot-box.—l am, etc., J. W. LOPDELL.