POLITICAL PICNIC

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 511, 14 November 1928, Page 11

POLITICAL PICNIC

FUN AT DEVONPORT THREE CANDIDATES TALK AT ONCE Devonport enjoyed its triennial political picnic last evening, though much to the boisterous element which prevailed three years ago was missing. The three candidates took up their positions in Marine Square only a few yards from each other, and the crowd added its clamour to the voices of the speakers. Mr. R. H. Greville, United candidate, spoke for 30 minutes in the Masonic Hall before motoring around the electorate to address open-air meetings. His meeting was carried on by Messrs. J. Woodall and W. Perry Taylor. In the meantime the other two candidates had been busy addressing open-air meetings as they worked their way toward Devonport from its outer areas. The Labour Party had “dug in” on Marine Square, when Messrs. C. Bailey and T. Bloodworth held the ground until the arrival of Mr. A. G. Osborne. Mr. Alex Harris arrived at 9.30 p.m., heralded by the detonation of crackers and the booming of a gong. He immediately started an opposition meeting. Shortly afterwards Mr. Greville at rived and took liis stand 50 yards away, so that three candidates were speaking simultaneously within a few yards of each other. The crowd had swelled to between SOO and 900 by this time, and the “honking” of motor horns endeavouring to make a pasage through the crowd added to the clamour of the candidates, and the vigorous hur-rah-ing. boo-ing and hand-clapping of the rival parties. Mr. Harris met fierce opposition, being counted out and challenged at every statement, when a loud voice boomed out periodically, “Show Me the Way to Go Home.” An advertisement stating that Mr. Harris was an official Reform candidate was triumphantly thrust in his face by an interjector, who derided Mr. Harris’s claim to be independent. Booing and groans greeted the reading of a telegram from the Otamatea County Council denying that it was cutting down wages. An Interjector: Alex. You said you want to do your best for the country as a whole; is it the hole we are in?” Loud cheers greeted the saly, and Mr. Harris retorted, “I know of a better ’ole.” A battered looking citizen kept piping, “Twelve ba-ab a day,” and a wild outcry met the candidate’s reply to a query of, “Tell us about Downie Stewart, that he is the best finance Minister the Dominion has ever had.” Mr. Harris: The Government has a definite policy ——. “Of soup-kit-chens,” added an iuterjector amid more cheers. “Give us some of your independent ideas,” was the next demand, but before Mr. Harris could make more than a claim that he would head the poll, there came a chorus of, “Why did Coates tell you to go home?” Mr. Harris (shouting with maximum force): I don't know: probably he had a bad dinner that day; anyway he is sorry now-. A Voice: He said the other day that it was because you jumped too soon. By this time fifty questions were being hurled simultaneously at the candidate, who shouted to be given a few- minutes’ peace. In a lull he made an appeal for support, but unless people thought he was the best man he did not w-ant their votes. A Voice: Oh, Alex! that is a funny one!” Amid cheers and counter-de-monstrations, Air. Harris stepped off his box. CHALLENGE REPEATED A wild stampede to Mr. Osborne's meeting gave ihe crowd an oportunity to hear him reiterate his statement that the Otamatea County was lowering wages. Mr. Barclay, the Labour man in Kaipara, had so stated at every meeting, aud the telegram sent M% Harris was a mere blind. Frantic clamour from the crowd indicated its hostility to the wage-cutting scheme, and a voice roared over the noise: "We’ll fix ’em to-morrow!” Derisive reference to the lack of unity in the United Party brought some booing from that party’s supporters, and an ejaculation that Mr. Osborne was brainless and that he should have stood down for Mr. Greville. Mr. Osborne: If your countenance is any criterion of your intelligence you have sheep’s brains! A Voice: Put some crepe on your forehead, your braintT are dead—A wordy battle was still raging at 11.15 p.m., when the Dabour chairman announced: “We are not going to stand here until midnight answering questions.”