PARTY TACTICS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2255, 15 September 1914, Page 4

PARTY TACTICS

AN OPPOSITION OANAEJ). The local Opposition newspaper pub'.; lished an article yesterday in whitfh.it. charged the Reform Party with holding a party meeting at Temuka for the purpose of selecting a candidate, and thus breaking the truce declared by political parties The facts, as stated by the Eeform League officials, are that the late Colonel Hayhurst was to have contested the Temuka seat at the coming general election in the Eeform in* terest. The unfortunate accident which resulted in his death necessitated the ' Belection of anothor candidate, and it, was considered undesirable that the selection should be long delayed. Mr.Hayhurst had been urged to stand-ia. succession to his father, and had intimated his willingness to do so if the local branch of the Reform League ap< proved of his candidature, and the le-■ muka meeting to which the newspaper in question takefi exception was called to settlo the question. It was convened locally, and not by tho organiser, whowas merely invited to bo present. It was in no" sense of the term a public! meeting. , . . ' The statements made in regard tQ the distribution of Eeform literature, according to the League officials, • ore decidedly misleading and incorrect. They state that "Under Which Flag"was published on -June 30, and that only one issue of tho league journal has been circulated since that date; namely, that of July 31. A circular letter, addressed by the editor of that papor to tho subscribers on August 12, intimated that, under instructions from the president of tho league (Mr. Massey),it had been decided to temporarily withhold the publication of the journal, "owing to" tho practically unanimous desire that all party differences should be obliterated." and that the last number to bo .issued for the presont was that of July 31. The statement that either of these numbers was distributed to ,the troops at Awapurii. immediately, before tho Votes of tho men were taken, or that any other official publication of the Ecforni Party was so distributed by the Ecforni agents to such troops, the league- officials declared is absolutely without foundation. No. such papera wore distributed in tho camp.