REGENT PUBLIC MEETING

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 235, 18 September 1939, Page 2

REGENT PUBLIC MEETING

COUNTY COUNCIL CHARGE Mil. HUJj.TQUI.ST' REPLIES ■ \ AVELLINGTON, Saturday. WI ici i Mr. 4 . GV Hu Itqu i st.. M .P, for the Bay of Plenty was interviewed yesterday, in regard to the reportthat the Opotiki County Council had' charged him with having tried to upset a- recent public meeting in Opotiki, Mr. Hultquist stated that] lie felt that in view of the many more important matters with which the country is now concerned’ as a- result of the fact that the Nation is now at war, lie diet not propose to argue the point with' anybody over what must now become a trivial issue, i.e. the issue as to whether-lie.was really responsible for upsetting a meeting because he ' ex-, “ficctcd to be permitted to exercise certain privileges of speaking which were and are his as the representative of the ‘ District in Parliament, and of Hit* Government at the meeting, or whether the chairman' of the meeting was responsible for upsetting the meeting because he refused to lot Mr. Hultquist speak and deliver a message from the Government. “Certainly,” said Mr. Hultquist. “the -meeting was in an uproar from that point onwards. and' I will agree that I vigorously protested because I was not •permited to speak—l. wouldn’t have been worthwhile- if i hadn’t protested.” “1 have stated that I am not going to argue the point about the matter.” Mr. Hultquist continued.' ‘but as the report lias been published cut-side of my electorate, it is only fair that the people should know the facts. ’ “The meeting was held in Opotiki on the sth. August in the evening. It was convened by the County Council and the ball was packed to the doors. I. was specially invited to be present and absented myself foi one day from the House of ‘Representatives and specially visited Opotiki to he at the meeting. 1 was given a seat on the platform next to the chairman. A number of representatives from other Puhlici and Semi-Public Bodies were also on the platform. The meeting was convened for the -purpose of discussing roacl and rail, facilities (improvement and provisions) for Opotiki, and right ati the outset of the meeting a resolution was moved' by the chairman asking the Piimo Minister to name a date on which the Government would start actual construction work on the Tancatua-Opotiki -Railway. I made it briefly clear to /the meeting that the resolution was not necessary .in view of certain assurances I. had received that week from the Acting Prime Minister and the .Minister of Public Works and confirmed that day by telegram. However I was told that I. had net been invited to come to the meeting to speak—they had asked me to be present to “listen”. 1 had never felt so insulted before and; said so in language that could lie understood too. It was because of the sympathy which existed for me in the meeting no doubt, that the meeting became uproarious. Needless to say I took tlm first available' opportunity on my return to Wellington of informing the Acting Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Works e-f tlTo gratuitous insult given to me directly and to them indirectly. The County Council’s charge against -me now is their answer to a strongly-worded protest which .1 sent to the Council as a result of the treatment I received at- the hands of the chairman of the council when he presidcdi ever the public meeting. In a letter 1 wrote to the' Editor of the Opotiki News and published on the 21st. August, I made the following statement: “Surely all fair-minded residents will agree that- the treatment 1 received on the sth. inst. had the effect of changing the light of the public to hear the details in regard to road and rail matters at the earliest possible date, into a right which became mine and which they transferred to- me directly, to select a convenient occasion at a later date to make a statement in full”. “However, not because of the Council’s decision now to ask the Acting Prime 'Minister to instruct me to convey his message to the Council immediately, . hut- because much has happened since the sth. August, and New Zealand is in a state of Emergency and the time lias passed lor holding meetings of such a kind ?is might he. or construed to-be political, semi-political, or even tinged with political influence (The meeting oil the sth. August was by no means free from motives of a political character, and because of. that I had indicated that I would-ask the Opotiki Branch of the Labour Party ip convene a meeting after the session at which I

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