WELLINGTON CENTRAL.

Taihape Daily Times, 25 September 1918, Page 4

WELLINGTON CENTRAL.

MR. MACK’S CANDIDATURE. REFUSED A HEARING. WELLINGTON, Sept 24. A section of the audience at the opening meeting of Mr. Mack, Independent Labour candidate for the Wellington Central seat, last night, was extremely rowdy. Continuous interjections and other noises prs* vented delivery of a speech, and Mr. Mack was kept answering questions till the chairman declared the meeting closed. He said that, as the candidate had been refused a hearing by a section of the audience, he would not put any motion.

During the singing of the National 'Anthem, at the beginning of the meeting, the hecklers sat, and one marred the singing with a loud discordant socialist song. Mr Mack explained that he was not a member of the Protestant Political Association nor a member of the Prohibitionist party, and said he was not connected with the Orange lodges. If any organisation decided to support him, that was its own business. He was responsible only for his own actions. He claimed the right to represent reasonable labour, as distinct from extremists. Though personally opposed to compensation to the liquor trade, he favoured the National Efflciency Board's recommendation as sound business. Answering questions about "a guinea a day as a member of the Military Service Board,” he said he paid this money into the Amalgamated Railway Servants’ funds. He declined to be bludgeoned into withdrawing from the contest; he could go to the poll even if 99J per cent of the railway men requested him to stand down. TAIHAPE BRANCH OF A.S.R.S. At a meeting of the Tailiape Branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, held on the 22nd inst,

the folowing resolutions were passed: j “The Taihape Branch of the gamated Society of Railway Servants hereby protest against the action of the Railway Department in deciding to increase the service of night goods trains. We consider that the convenience of the travelling public be considered if the Department finds it necessary to increase the number of night trains and that the resumption of the Midnight Express should receive first consideration.” “That as the candidature of Mr.M. J. Mack, general secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants. in the by-election for Wellington Central will operate to split the Labour vote and thereby prevent the return of a Labour representative for the seat, and this being directly opposed to the interests of the Labour Party, the members of the Taihape Branch of the Society call upon Mr. Mack to withdraw from the contest,, or, failing this, that he immediately resign from his position as general secretary.”