MEETING AT WAIONE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 October 1938, Page 5

MEETING AT WAIONE

(To the Editor.) Sir, —On Saturday night the Labour candidate for Masterton addressed a meeting at Waione and in order to keep the unruly in order he brought along the police constable frOiri Pongaroa. Waione has always been famed for giving all candidates a good; hearing. It would appear, Sir, to be a case of the big stick—bite, chew, swallow and digest what 1 say or be thrown out. As an old settler here, I think the presence of the police was Uncalled for. I can assure the Labour candidate that we had no intentions of eating him. I take the presence of the police at this meeting as an insult to our district.' With regard to the vote of thanks and confidence, it can be taken with a grain of salt. The mover and seconder were both outsiders, not residents of Waione, imported with quite a number of others to the meeting a big affair. They remind one of billy-goats being led round on a string, or “lambs to the slaughter.” The Labour candidate will find next Saturday what the Vote of confidence is worth. He will .be told by those who have the brains to think for themselves just exactly where to get off. — I am, etc., 4 WAIONE PIONEER. When the ■ contents of the above letter Were referred to Mr Robertson, he stated that he was riot a party to the police being present. It Was entirely a matter of the policeman’s own volition whether hfe came to the meeting or not and Mr Robertson said he had nothing whatever to do With his being there. It was obvious from the writer’s oWn letter that a meeting that passed a vote of confidence in the candidate made it unnecessary for him to require police protection. The rest of the letter was an expression of the correspondent’s opinions to which he Was entitled.