“THE KELLY GANG.”

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 28 June 1926, Page 11

“THE KELLY GANG.”

I MR POTTER’S PRINCIPLES. | (Special to the “Herald.”) I WELLINGTON, Juno 25. i Though ho said ho was loyal to tin I principles-of : fire Reform Party, tin I Reform;member 1 for Roskill'.(Mr V. H. I Potter),-made uo apbjogy at-the outsci | of his address in tlio House'to-day for 1 taking up tlmcudgels ombelntlf of Miss | Melville in the Eden by-olcetion cum- | paign. “I unhesitatingly say,” be doI dared, “that tho Right Hon. the Prime I Minister aqd the' partly ’ in'; Wellington havo"nothing r,‘to do with the mix-up in Eden.” He said lie would-'have let thejnfStter drop had it-not been for the i fact that tho 'Reform "Party’s paper had said clearly and decisively that one ! member of the party (himself), for ! personal reasons, had entered into the j j campaign." Hpvhad.-- no meansyof repudj iating that, 'statement except on the ; j floor/;of :.tho ■ House.. The Party’s paper I I circulated: all; over tlio Dominion, ami, i he.l gave/,the "statement it 'contained a | most emphatic'denial. He did'not enter the campaign for personal reasons. Had i it not been for the cool indifference of i the”; Prime ;Minister and the organis- | ation at headquarters, tho whole mat* ter could have been settled within tiie

party ranks. Considering the wonderful l fight which Miss Melville had put up against Mr Bartram in Grey Lynn at the. General Election,.,.. lie, felt it to be his boundonycluty to Vipliolcl the principles qf Refqrm, not'the principles of | the’'party coiitfbllihg'Rclbrin.''TlK'. principles of had been laid down by-.the .late.chief, Mr Massey, namely ;. .“Square. Deal'.”. Miss .Melville ,had never 1 received tho fair play’or 4 ,justice she deserved at the-' hands scf vthe Refrom party in Auckland. Hundreds and tliouisaildSi 6f 's;(d)6S*-had“becn gainedefpr ;the Reform Party through Miss Melville standing for Grey Lynn’at thprgeneral ■ election:' “I civil hardly bei'accused even , through our, otvn paper of; being'disloyal to my party,” continued Sfr Potter. “I, am...loyal to the principles of my party; " but'if-my party or ! any section of tliat party .forsakes . tlio principles of -ithe '-party they ,cannot! ■ call me disloyalist.” Mr Potter went oh to say .that the official candidate, Sir. James, . Gunson - h'adf tlio 'Reform' Party; anl liis selection was 7 not carried out according to the constitution of.,the. party... Mr Potter, alsp. said he was not tho only Reformer in" Auckland, who. did not want to-.see Sir James Gunson nominated for-the Reform Party. Sir James Gunson’s attitude in 1919 showed lie was absolutely opposed to the principles of Mr Massey, i and that lie was against tho Reform' 1 ’ Party. His conversion must have been j sudden, when lie decided to stand for tho Elen,election. At a timqwhen men j of calibre' were wanted 'to stand for the | Reform Party, Sir James Gunson de-.i finitely and distinctly, turned down a request of the party to do so. Ho Avas i*' absolutely'loyal to the principles of the ; Party, hut he did take very strong ex- ' ception to a-certain clique', or body of' men, known in’Auckland as'“The Kelly Gang,” or the “Forty Thieves,”'doing 1 things they had done. He" W ! as’quite convinced that the attitude ho took ■ • lip over the 1 Eden contest was a rib-lit one. '■ ■ : ' °