MR. MASSEY'S CHRISTCHURGH MEETING

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1177, 12 July 1911, Page 8

MR. MASSEY'S CHRISTCHURGH MEETING

1.,.. , '-' ■ ■ ~f— ENORMOUS GATHERING. TOO CROWDED FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. \ HAS TO BE ABANDONED. : GREAT OVATION FOR REFORM LEADER

(By TeicjrraDb—Press Association.! Christchurch, July 11. ■ By 7.15 o'clock this evening the Choral .flail in Gloucester Street, which has seating'capacity for lijOO people, was crammed to the doors to hear Mr. W. F. Massey, Leader of the Opposition, deliver a political address. The aisles and gallery, and indeed crtry available foot of space, were occupied, while- a bis crowd clamoured for admission outside. In spite of desperate work by the police, the crowd becamo iinmanage'able, , and the influx could not bo stopped. Tho crowd insido the hall alternately called for oliecre for.Mr. Massey, Sir Joseph Ward, arid othors, and it was quite evident that under these conditions the meeting could not be held, as tho crowd outside the building were making a loud ;.din..' .. To makeftiatters worse a woman fainted in the crash at the Madras Street- en-, trance, and this so disturbed .the crowd that for some minutes anyone who tried to speak.could not make himself heard.

The Danger Too Great. At twenty minutes to eight Mr. T. E. Taylor,' the Mayor of ■' Christch'urch, stepped forward and announced; that unless the; aisles were cleared-the meeting could not be held, as the danger to the crowd was too great. This was greeted by mixed groans and cheers, and the uproar continued for throb or four minutes.

"It is rtil! ten minutes before starting ' time," said -Air. Taylor. "If those people will kindly'go'pat, Mr. Massey will address the rest." v }Io added that, he had consulted,.Mr. Masseybcfore making this announcement. There' was a perfect storm of cheers and hoots when Mr. Massey stepped forward to speak, and.for some time ho could not get a hearing. When the noise suVsided ■he said that, fldling his being able to address the meeting that night, he would return and meet tha electors of-. Christchurch as soon as possible, and let them hear him. Dβ would not break his promise to lot them hear'what tho Opposition platform was. (Cheers.) Terrific Noise Outside. ; At this stage thero was terrific noise outsMo tho hall, n.nd no one could bo \oard. There wero loud cries of "Address U9 in Latimer Square," but Mr. Maflsej;replied that Ms.voice would not last'half'an hour in the open air. MjiiTay.lor theniniado another appeal to ihV'people in the'aisles to go out and let the meeting proceed, and a fair number complied with the request, but at their exit at the front doors the crowd became-' worse at tho side door, and threatened to stampede tho seats. Somo minutes of uproar elapsed, and at two minutes past 8 Mr. Taylor rose and said: Meeting Declared Closed, . ' "Aβ chairman of this meeting, I find it altogether too dangerous for Mr. Massey to deliver his address, and I therefore declare tho meeting closed." Thero was no movement on the paTt of the crowd, however, to leave, but as Mr. Massey, accompanied by Mr. Taylor and ■ tho members of tho Canterbury Reform League, who had been able to strugglo on to the platform, turned to go, cries of "cowards", and "Como outside" were raised. Someone, in the gallery, during a lull in the uproar, moved a vote of confidence in Mr. Massey, and this was hailed by loud cheers. . . . , , , , Then some-.foolish person,/presumably, to induce the crowd to leave the building, turned out ono of the lamps over the gallery, and this threatened to cause a ' panic until tho police obtained quiet. At one stage the crowd directly in front of ,the platform were bcinj induced by those behind to leave by way of the stage, and a rush on. to tho platform was threatened. As it was, many clambered over the palms and reporters' tables, and crushed through tho slago doors at the back of the building.

to he done was to close the meeting. Interviewed after the meeting had broken up, Mr..Taylor said it would have boon hidilv dangerous to ho d the meeting in Its Crushed state and every rea-sonable-mimlc(l man would agree with nib action in not allowing it to proceecL

Not a Hostile Crowd. "So far as'l was able to see,", said Mr. Massey, later on in the evening, the crowd was not a hostile crowd. 'Ihe impression I got was that they were friendly rather than otherwise, but all sides ot pqlitics were represented at the meeting. I am quite sure that if T had been able to "0 on without risk to the audience . I would have had a very friendly meeting and a very good hearing. As it is, I doubt now whether I. shall be able to come back until Parliament meets, but I will come over then and .spend a weekend in Chfistchurch, addressing a meetin" here, and, if necessary, another after that."