THE PRIME MINISTER AT WINTON

Southland Times, Issue 25502, 24 October 1944, Page 3

THE PRIME MINISTER AT WINTON

Sir, —May I be given a share of the hospitality of your “Public Opinion” column to reply briefly to a letter published therein yesterday over the signature of lan Wills? As one of an audience of approximately 500 people at the Radio Hall at Winton last Friday night, I noted that from the outset of the Prime Minister’s exhilarating address the aim of Mr Wills, of West Plains, was clearly to create an impression, that he was the self-appointed champion of freedom of speech, and defender of both the old and the new Toryism. Yet he had nothing worthwhile to say, and said it badly. I unhesitatingly say that Mr Wills missed the target. He merely succeeded in making himself a noisy nuisance. His attitude was precisely that of the type of person whom he professes in his letter to abhor—a dictator. In squandering at Winton what Mr Wills fervently describes as the “heritage of freedom,” he denied the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, the right of uninterrupted freedom of speech. This was an unpardonable breach even of rustic courtesy. In spite of it, however, the'Prime Minister was successful in presenting an unanswerable case for Labour. I had thought that Mr Wills would have accepted the invitation to secure a platform for himself, but I have since been informed that when he was willing to do so as the Nationalist candidate for Awarua, the party would not have him. Their decision is not now surprising. Manners reveal the man. J. MILLAR. Winton, October 23, 1944.

Sir, —After reading your report in Saturday’s paper on the outburst of Mr Wills at the Prime Minister’s meeting at Winton, there is one important question.! would like to ask through the columns of your paper. From what source does Mr Wills obtain petrol to jaunt around the electorate of Awarua making unintelligent and meaningless outbursts at political meetings? It seems a strange state of affairs that Mr Wills, who gave his address as West Plains, is able to make these political excursions, when private motorists are struggling along doing their bit towards the war effort on one and a-half and two gallons of petrol, as the case may be, If the ramblings of Mr Wills at this meeting can be taken as a guide politically, and I am confident they can be, the electors of this constituency may feel thankful that his nomination was not upheld by the National Party. Instead of assisting the National cause, Mr Wills has generously added to the Labour majority which now seems assured. CONFIDENT. [“Four of us went to Winton together and shared the petrol,” said Mr Wills, when the question asked in this letter was referred to him. “Further, I transacted business in Winton in connection with a farm in that district of which I am a half-owner.”]