BIG GUNS TRAINED ON STRATFORD SEAT

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 41, 27 September 1928, Page 4

BIG GUNS TRAINED ON STRATFORD SEAT

FARMERS’ UNION MAN ... . SPEAKS PLAINLY. REFORM’S CATCH CRY. "A MERE BOGEY.” All the big guns which the Government will be able to bring to bear will be trained on the Stratford electorate this election,” said Mr S. Vickers* president of the North Taranaki Farmers’ Union at dlidhirst last Hl&nt, where an address was delivered by Mr W. J, Poison. Continuing, Mr Vickers said no doubt, every attempt would be made to discredit Mr Poison as a candidate. When these statements were made he asked them to judge the candidate on his work of the past ten years. COLLUSION DENIED. “1 am pleased to avail myself of this opportunity to refute th e statements recently made in the Waikato by the Hon. A. D. McLeod in. connection with Mr Poison's candidature”, said Mr Vickers. It had been alleged that Mr Poison was being run by the Farmers’ Union and that there was some collusion between the Farmers’ Union and the Labour Party. This Mr Vickers denied. . FARMERS AND POLITICAL ACTION. Dealing with th e political situation, the speaker recalled that some time ago he had publicly advocated the ( advisability of farmers taking political action in order to meet pre-sent-day conditions, hut at the union’s conference in Wellington a resolution in this direction was defeated. At the same conference, however, a platform the same lines as Mr Poison’s address that night was unanimously approved, and it was on that platform that Mr Poison was contesting the Stratford; seat. “This catch cry of ‘if you don’t support the Reform Party yov will help Labour,’ is a mere bogey, said Mr Vickers.