NATIONAL PARTY SOCIAL

Southland Times, Issue 23681, 2 December 1938, Page 5

NATIONAL PARTY SOCIAL

Mr T. L. Macdonald

Honoured

PEOPLE OF WYNDHAM

DISTRICT

With the idea of giving Mr T. L. Macdonald, the newly-elected member of Parliament for Mataura, an opportunity of meeting some of his constituents in the district, the Wyndham branch of the National Party organized a social evening in the town hall. Accompanying Mr Macdonald were Mrs Macdonald, the Leader of the Opposition (the Hon. Adam Hamilton) and Mr James Hargest M.P., and Mrs Hargest. The hall was well filled and Mr L. Harper, chairman of the Town Board, presided.

Mr Harper extended a welcome to Mr and Mrs Macdonald and Mr Hamilton. Although the election was now a thing of the past, he said, the Wyndham branch of the National Party felt it would like to take the opportunity of congratulating Mr Macdonald on his recent victory. Now the election was over he felt they should sink all party differences and put their shoulders to the wheel and do their best to carry their country along. The following concert programme was submitted:—Songs, Mr D. N. A. Macpherson; Highland fling, Margaret Sheehan and Margaret Bain; recitation, Mrs E. J. Traynor; songs, Mrs S. Monagan; tap dances, Miss L. Maguire; songs, Miss M. Frame; violin solo, Mr G. McEwan; songs, Mr W. Bennett; recitations, Mrs Duiguid; tap ballet, Vemey Peacock, I. Harper, Audrey Pauli, Olga Milne, Grace Bain, Greta Tangney and Merle Milne; songs, Mr E. S. Macfarlane.

. The accompaniments were played by Mesdames M. C. Rice, L. Crosbie, F. Smart and Mr Macfarlane, and Mr T. Skinner played the pipes for the Highland dancing. Mr Hamilton was greeted with an ovation. The Mataura electorate was one of the electorates which had helped to augment the numbers of the National Party and because of this he was pleased to come along to the victory social, said Mr Hamilton. ■ It was also pleasing to him to know that even although they had had a win in Mataura they were not going to rest on their laurels, nut meant to keep rallying round Mr Macdonald and be with him all the journey. He felt they were not friendly enough in their politics and asked people- when they met Mr Macdonald to go up and shake hands with him and introduce others, even if they were on the opposite side. What they were fighting for was the good government of the. country and if the Government of the day gave them that then it would have their support.

MATAURA ELECTORATE

The Mataura electorate had played its part well in the recent campaign and had made its selection of a candidate early, which was a good thing. Before the selection of a candidate, Mr Macdonald had pulled his weight in giving a hand with the organizing of the electorate, and as a result of the good organization the fight was won before the campaign started. The second election was always the hardest one for a member and he had been defeated in his second campaign. Thtey had had heavy going in the towns at the last election, and had been unable to win some town seats they thought they would. No part of New Zealand did better than Southland, where they had now three of the four seats. Politics was an interesting and pleasant study, but it had reached a serious stage today. If the present Government went along steadily they would be quite pleased, but if not then they were in for an interesting time. During the last election his supporters had never been so enthusiastic or demonstrative, yet they could not win. Now if the country was let down then it was the people who did so as they ruled and not Parliament. It was a matter of life and death to have good government. What was required was that the Government should retain those things that were good and build on them. If not it would go down discredited. He was pleased to see so many young people present. A member of Parliament’s job was one of the highest in the land, and they would be back next year to take up the fight. Mr Hargest said he had known the Wyndham district for the past 30 years, his first visit being to a military camp in 1910, when he had been flooded out. He had once thought of standing for the Mataura electorate but the Coalition Government came into being and he had to stand down in favour of Mr McDougall. Next to his own electorate he thought Mr Macdonald was representing the best district in New Zealand, as he did not know of a more solid class of people than those of Mataura. He hoped Mr Macdonald’s term in Parliament wculd be a long one, and, being young, forcible and reliable, he felt he would worthily follow in the footsteps of some of the outstanding men who had represented the electorate in the past. At the recent election they had had the best team of candidates for 50 years, 55 of whom were having their first attempt. The majority were young men who were a credit- to the party and he was sorry so many of them were unable to offer their services to the country. As a party they were proud of their leader and had watched him rise from a private member to be a member of Cabinet, then back to a private member and then to the leadership of the party, and there was no one more fitted to lead them than Mr Hamilton. Today, unless the people woke up, democracy would be crumpled underfoot, and while there was no chance of a dictatorship as seen in other countries, democracy was not playing the game by itself.

RESPONSIBILITY OF POSITION

Mr Macdonald, who was greeted with musical honours, thanked the gathering for the overwhelming reception. What had been said that evening made him realize the responsibilities of his position, especially when he had to represent such a good body of people as those present, he said. His one aim would be to prove worthy of their choice. The campaign had been a strenuous one, as he had addressed 55 meetings in three weeks. He felt there was a great field in awakening the interest of the young people of the Dominion, and he wondered if they understood the principles they were fighting for. He had been struck with the harmony prevailing at the recent caucus, which would allow them to look forward to the future with a much easier mind. To his mind it was not so much a matter of gaining the Treasury Benches as of seeing sound government carried out, and when the Government appreciated that principle it would get his support. Mr J. H. Foster, in proposing a vote of thanks to the performers and the women for decorating the hall and providing supper, said one of the best things the meeting could do would be to concentrate on keeping the three members with them that evening in Parliament.

Later a dance was held, the grand march being led off by Mr Hamilton and Mrs J. H. Foster. Then came Mr Foster and Mrs Hamilton and Mr and Mrs Macdonald. Music .was played by

Mrs J. Crosbie and Mr J. Young was master of ceremonies.

LIST OF GUESTS

Among those present were:—The Hon. Adam Hamilton and Mrs Hamilton, Mr and Mrs J. Hargest, Mr and Mrs T. L. Macdonald, Mr and Mrs L. Harper, Mr and Mrs S. Rice, Mr and Mrs J. H. Foster, Mr and Mrs J. F. Burleigh, Mr and Mrs F. W. J. Crosbie, Mr and Mrs P. Campbell, Mr and Mrs A. T. Heydon, Mr and Mrs T. W. McGillivray, Mr and Mrs A. I. Stirling, Mr and Mrs W. Stirling, Mr and Mrs A. A. Wilson, Mr and Mrs A. Young, Mr and Mrs J. Young, Mr and Mrs E. Frame, Mr and Mrs L. Crosbie, Mr and Mrs A. C. Bulling, Mr and Mrs F. J. Dunbar, Mr and Mrs J. M. Marshall, Mr and Mrs N. McKelvie, ’Mr and Mrs M. C. Rice, Mr and Mrs M. Crowe, Mr and Mrs G. F. Mcßae, Mr and Mrs M. Mcßae, Mr and Mrs W. Bennett, Mr and Mrs T. Skinner, Mr and Mrs T. Rabbidge, Mr and Mrs W. Hunter, Mr and Mrs A. Monagan, Mr and Mrs E. S. Macfarlane, Mr and Mrs W. Frame. Mesdames R. G. Carson, J. Cameron, A. W. Crosbie, R. Arnott, W. Aim, R. Scott, J. McKay, E. J. Traynor, F. Smart, W. T. Sheehan, J. McDonald, D. Caldwell, G. Wilson (Onga Onga), Woodward, Duiguid, R. Pauli, W. J. Curnie, C. Bain, A. Thompson, F. Lawrence; Misses F. Laurie, A. McLaren, A. Arnott, Howe (2), Rice (2), M. Frame, G. Gaw, T. Crosbie, Simpson (2), Caldwell, Crowe, Peterson, B. McLauchlan, S. Strang, L. A. Marsh, I. Melrose, E. Milne, J. McKerrow, E. Crighton, T. Harper, L. Maguire, A. Pauli, G. Bain, Thomson (2), M. Irvine, E. Briggs, Lake, O. Milne, McGillivray; Messrs H. Bonnewell, W. J. Marsh, D. N. A. Macpherson, C. Campbell, W. Frame, J. Winter, A. Morriss, A. Sharp, Humphries, R. Udy, W. Stirling, I. Caldwell, E. Arnott, A. Howe, McKay (2), W. Sheehan, C. Foster, J. Woods, J. Beange, F. Milne, J. Cusack, G. McEwan, J. Dobson, J. Crosbie, A. Clarke, J. Irvine, L. Hallman, D. .Waters, Grieve, Rolfe and Symons.