NO SOB STUFF

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 508, 10 November 1928, Page 10

NO SOB STUFF

MR. BUNN AT TE PAPAPA A WARM MEETING Mr. Bertram Bunn, the Reform candidate for Manukau faced a hostile audience at Te Papapa last evening, the opposition making the pace from the start. His statement that housing and general conditions of living were better to-day compared with 16 years ago, was greeted with loud guffaws, and a section of the large audience disapproved of his opinion that in spite of the war, the country had made tremendous strides under the sound and sane administration of the Coates Government. “The Government.” he said, “was to be congratulated on the way it has handled the position.” which statement evoked a running fire of interjections in which a sailor, decorated with medals, took a leading part. During a lull. Mr. Bunn was heard to say, “I’m not here to give you sob stuff. You've had some years of sob stuff, but as far as I can see you people in this electorate don’t understand politics.” (Continude chorus of boohs and ohs.) The chairman. Cr. R. G. Speight, procured temporary silence. The candidate declared that he always silenced the opposition, and he would silence the audience before he was done. He accused Sir Joseph Ward and his party of scuttling the ship in 1919 and leaving William Massey to steer it safely into port. NO HOT CROSSES Referring to Mr. Kells Mason’s innuendo that £25.000 of the Highway Board’s funds had found their way into the Reform Party’s fighting fund, Mr. Bunn declared that the Hon. J. A. Young had disproved that utterance. A Voice: He can’t disprove it. Mr. Bunn: If that gentleman will come on to the platform and give me his name, address and occupation, I will tell him that if he is worth powder and shot, the Reform Party will have all he has got. , Cries of: Oh; oh; Go on babv! Criticising the Labour Party, he declared that there was only one practical farmer in its ranks. The rest were trade union secretaries. “I could count the practical farmers in this room on the palm of one hand,” he said, amid loud laughter. Frequent appeals for silence were backed up bicries of “Carry on, Bertie.” At this stage a sergeant of police and a constable interviewed the sailor, who was one of the chief offenders, but on his promising to keep quiet was not shown the door. “If the present member for Manukau were present,” said Mr. Bunn, on resuming, “from what I know of him, he would be disgusted and would disown you for all time. He is a man who stands for British fair play.” The sailor then announced that he would go out for a “smoko.” and retired amid a round of applause, and the candidate had a smooth passage. In humorous vein, Mr. Bunn predicted that on election day there would be no hot crosses on his name. A Voice: No; you’ll be both hot and cross. Another Voice: Labour will take the bun on election day. Obviously ill at ease, the heckled candidate said: “Ladies and gentlemen, J ask you to bear with me. I have been in bed all day ” During an argument with one of the audience on the dismissal of casual railway employees, Mr. Bunn gave in and sat down, while the chairman again appealed for silence. On resuming, the candidate remarked “I was told I would get a hot time in Te Papapa, and I’m getting it.” A long list of questions was answered satisfactorily, and a vote of thanks was carired unanimously.