THE FRIENDLY ROAD

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 October 1938, Page 6

THE FRIENDLY ROAD

AN ASSURANCE SOUGHT FROM MR HAMILTON • MR SCRIMGEOUR ON TIRAU INCIDENT. CHEERED AT BIG MEETING IN AUCKLAND. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, This Day. A resolution to seek an assurance from the Hon A. Hamilton that in the event of his party being successful in the forthcoming election, the Friendly Road sessions would remain undisturbed, was carried unanimously by an enthusiastic meeting of over 4000 that filled the Town Hall and Concert Chamber, with a large overflow in the street, last evening.

The meeting was held under the auspices of the Friendly Road, and the principal speaker was Mr C. G. Scrimgeour, who was warmly received. He paid a tribute to the peace efforts of Mi’ Chamberlain and other statesmen, the crowd rising to cheer. Peace would never come merely by the efforts of statesmen or diplomats, but would only be a reality when born in the hearts of the people of the world, said Mr Scrimgeour. Though' this was said to be peace with a price, nevertheless the price was nothing to that which war would have involved. An explanation was made of a report widely circulated concerning a Tirau incident. Mr Scrimgeour said that though much larger meetings had been addressed by him at Rotorua and Morrinsville, prior to that no mention was made of these. Owing to his failure to attend a social* function at Tirau, he was pressed to go to a political meeting and went on condition that he would not be asked to speak. During the meeting he learned that the National Party organisation at Matamata, hearing of the two other meetings, organised a visit to Tirau with the express determination of obstructing him. “When I rose to speak,” said Mr Scrimgeour, “I was merely rising to explain that I was a guest and did not intend to address the meetina However there was uproar in the nail between two sections, and that was the incident that was widely reported.” Mr Scrimgeour emphatically denied that he was conducting political meetings. He was merely doing what anyone would be expected to do under the circumstances. “Against my will,” he said, “I have been thrown into the political arena, and I was only endeavouring to give those people who were interested in my work an opportunity of hearing my side of the story. I have been threatened that I will be the first to get my running shoes in the event of the National Party being elected to office. The whole Friendly Road organisation is threatened with a similar fate, and all we are desirous of doing is letting the public know the true position.” Cheers were given for Mr Scrimgeour at the conclusion of the meeting.