AFTER THE POLL

Hokitika Guardian, 16 November 1928, Page 2

AFTER THE POLL

CANDIDATES SPEECHES

AIR SULLIVAN

CHRISTCHURCH, Nov. 14

The first candidate to address the crowd at Christchurch appeared at 9.20 p.m. Mr D. G. Sullivan, the successful candidate for Avon, was the speaker. He received a rousing reception from the huge crowd. He said that, when he looked at the vast sea of faces in front of him, he felt very much less at homo and more embarrassed than he had ever ielt when on the hustings. He wished to take the opportunity of thanking the electors of Avon who had again shown confidence in him. However he regained the vote not so much as a personal one, as an expression of the magnificent loyalty oh the people of Avon to the ideals of the Labour Party. . MR- HOWARD. Mr E. J. Howard, successful candidate for Christchurch South, was greeted with the cry, "Where is the rotten egg?” After the laughter caused by this sally had died down, Mr Howard said he wished to thank the returning officer for Chrjstchurch South for again establishing a record in getting his returns through. He, was sure his opponents would join 'with him in thanking the returning officer for his work. He wished to thank those who had voted for him. A voice; Why don't you thank Man. hire ? The candidate continued that ho wished to congratulate his two opponents on the fight they had put up. He realised from he jump that, when Mr M’Cully announced himself as a candidate, that he was up against a tough proposition. A voice: 9o you were. His only regret was tfiat certain sports bodies of the city should have taken sides in party politics. ' Voices: You’re wrong. There was uproar when Air Howard repeated the remark. some of the crowd cheered, but others booed vigorously. Mr Howard: If I am member for the district for the next tjiree years, and it loolfs like it as present— r Voipes: It will be the lpst three years.' Why don’t you livp d°wn in the district. . Mr Howard: If I am member for the district, L don’t care how you voted, I will do my best to assist you all. MR G. T. BARER. Mr G. \T. Baker, the unsuccessful United candidate for Avon, said that, although he .had beep beaten, he wa * not downhearted. ,M r Sullivan and himsejif find had a clean fight. A voice: Who are you any way ? He wished to congratulate Air Sullivan on his success. Ho hoped that some • time in- the future they would haye a Liberal Government, and that he would be able to assist his old chief, Sir Joseph Ward. MR H. T.. ARMSTRONG. A great reception was accorded to Air H. T. Armstrong, successful candidate for Christchurch 'East. He was gretted with cries of “Good old Tim.’’ Air Armstrong said that he could not accuse his opponent of fighting anything but a clean fight. (Laughter). He was proud of the vote he had received. He had refused to be a party either to the “wets” or the “drys.” He had relied entirely on the policy of the Labour Party. Hisi vote had increased as compared with last election. A. voice: Don’t skite. Continuing, Air Armstrong said that it appeared on the present figures that the Reform Party was going to lose heavily. (Cheers). The gains were going to the Labour Party and the United Party. A voice: Let them pull together. Mr Armstrong: I hope the United Party will always he united against Toryism. The candidate was going on to say that he had always done his best for the electorate when a slide was thrown on the screen announcing that Oarr was leadings at- Timaru by 500 votes with only a .few returns to come. Mr Armstrong: i I am sure that the whole of Christchurch will rejoice at the victory of good old Uncle Sam. With an assurance that he would continue to serve the interests of the - people Air Armstrong wished the crowd good night. AIRS E. R. AI’COMBS. When Mrs E, R. McCombs, the unsuccessful Labour -candidate for Kaiapoi, arrived, she was kindly cheered. “I have just returned from Kaiapoi. after having been delayed on the road for half an hour,” she said. A voice: Oh, never mind! (Laughter). “At Kaiapoi I was able to congratulate Air Hawke,” Mi’s M’Co mbs continued. Sim was proud that, standing as the first woman candidate in the South Island, she had polled only 250 votes less than the successful candidate. “I will come again,” she said, to deafening applause. “I regret that so far no woman candidate has been returned.” A voice: Thank God for that.' (Laughter). Mrs Al’Combs continued that she hoped to bo the first woman in New Zealand to occupy a seat in Parliament. She expressed her thanks to all those who had voted for her. She was given three hearty cheers by the crowd. AIR H. HOLLAND. Spirited hooting greeted Air H. Holland, successful Reform candidate for Christchurch North. Standing silent before the microphone, Air Holland al-

lowed the huge crowd to shriek itself hoarse before he commenced to speak. But the lull in the storm of protest was momentai’y, and only -snatches of his speech were caught.

“You are the finest lot of people I have ever seen in my life,” lie roared into the microphone. Here a very old egg whizzed past the candidate and fell with a sickening thud to the planks.

Air Holland ignored it. “You’re all smiling,” lie said above the tumult.

“Get out!” called someone in the crowd. “Those who laugh last laugh longest,” said Air Holland. Here a- terrific din drowned the voice of the speaker. “One two—three ” commenced the crowd. But Air Holland kept going. a ragged, disjointed speech being heard in heavy accents above the unroar. “I told you you could not beat me,” lie said arid the din was louder than before. “Christchurch North has never disappointed me,” Air Holland went on, his eyes glued on the microphone. He went on speaking for several minutes, but no one in the vast crowd heard him. AIR AI’CULLY. “Good old Charlie!” It came from many throats as Mr C. S. M’Cully moved towards the microphone. Air M’Cully’s reception contrasted greatly with that of Air Holland, who had spoken before him. “In the first place I want to congratulate my opponent,” he said, amidst applause. He declared that he was sorry that Mr Howard had said that he, the speaker, had nil the sporting people behind him. A voice: You will bent him next time, Charlie. “I thank all who were behind me,” he said, “and Air Howard can thank Reform for putting him in.” AIR TUITI MACDONALD. “ I was the first United Party candidate to be elected,” declared Mr Tuiti MacDonald, successful candidate for Southern Alaori. (Applause.) He bad had the pleasure of being the nominator of Sir Joseph Ward as leader of the United Party, lie told the crowd, amid loud applause and cheers. He thanked them for the confidence they bad shown in him, and called for three hearty cheers for the United Party. These were given with enthusiasm by several thousand people. AIR H. S. S. KYLE. Mr H. S. S. Kyle, successful Reform candidate for Riccartou, did not say much—the crowd wouldn’t let hipi. Air Kyle said that he had had the 'whole of the vested interests in the Riccartou electorate working against him. Here the crowd expressed its dissent with loud and insistent booting. “ Speak the truth,” called someone below. AVhile many were counting him out. Mr Kyle proceeded to express his thanks to those who had voted ifor him, and spoke of the clean fight, which had been a feature of the contest at Riccarton. He said that Tie hoped Reform would be in a better position by the morning. This was as a red rag to a bull, and the remainder of the speech was lost in the uproar. MR A. A. M’LACHLAN. Air A. A. M’Lachlan, who was beaten by Air Kyle for the Riccarton seat, evidently accepted bis defeat with good humour. He said: We have come at last to the end A voice: Of a perfect day. The candidate: Of a big struggle. I have been defeated, but net at all disgraced or outclassed. I hope that when the United Party and the Labour Party combine to bring in proportional representation and when I have got past the colt stage three years hence 1 will be returned. Continuing, Air M’Lachlan said that he wished to congratulate his opponents on the clean fight they had put up. Mr Kyle had to fight under the gravest difficulty. He had made Mr Kyle fight hard all the way. Air Thompson had also put up a good fight. “ There is one solace,” said the speaker. “As one of the newspapers said, I am far too young to be running away from a young wife and two young children. One of my children two years old said, ‘ You are not going away to Parliament yet, Daddy, aie you?’” (Laughter.) In conclusion, Air Al’Lachlan said that he wished to thank all who had voted for him, and all who had worked so hard for him.