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Waikato Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5157, 14 November 1912, Page 2

At a meeting of the Business Men’s League recently held in Hamilton the question of a railway from Frankton to Raglan came up for discussion. It was stated that the league had little hope of support from either Messrs Young or Bollard, M’s.P., as the former was pledged to another route, and the latter had private reasons, the principal being that he held shares in the Pukemiro Coal Mine. This statement has had the effect of placing Mr Bollard in a very false position with his constituents in one portion of his electorate. He complains, and jastly so, that he has been very badly treated, as he has never been called upon to express an opinion upon either route, and the members of the league in question could, therefore, have no possible chance of knowing his ideas upon the subject. The members referred to would have been wiser had they been a little more careful in their utterances. It is a serious charge to bring against a public man to say that because -he holds a few shares in a coal mine he is going to sacrifice the interests of a large number of the residents in the Raglan electorate in consequence. Those who know Mr Bollard, and who are aware of his integrity, straightforwardness and honesty of purpose would laugh at the absurdity of such a proposal: but on the other hand there are those who do not know Mr Bollard, and others again who are ever anxious to make political capital out of the flimsiest fabric, even the irresponsible statements of a couple of loquacious members of the Hamilton Business Men’s League, who appear to speak first and think afterwards.