ANOTHER ACCOUNT.

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

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.

MR. MASSEY RECEIVES A

GREAT OVATION.

SCENE BEGGARS DESCRIPTION

DOqK-KEEPER'S COAT KIPPED OFF. {By Telczraph.-Spccial Correspondent.) Christchurch,; July 11. _ The gathering in the Choral Hall this evening, was one of tho most. remarkable that has taken place in the political history of Christchurch. The position in the city in regard to theatres and other large buildings suitable for public meetings is that everyone is engaged nightly by various entertainment companies. Ihe ChoTal Hall was the only one available, and it is, perhaps, the smallest ot six which, might bo used. It is estimated however, to accommodate- .about i.uu people. The committee .of the Reform League; anticipating .a very -large audience", nindo arrangements ■,that:ndmission should bft by ticket, and tickets were accordingly distributed'to, pcoplf who applied for them without: regard to tho r-oiiticiil opinions of applicant;. It was hoped by this means to ovoid overcrowding, but as it happened the arrangements broke down, and the system ot admission liy ticket was useless. Ihq crowd rushed the door?, and the hall was packed at seven o'clock, an hour before the advertised time.

Thousands Outside,

There must have been thousands of ■people ill the : vicinity of'"the -Choral Hall' last evening. It is impossible to "ive an accurate estimate of the number, but there must have been between fire and six thousand. The scenes at the duors and in the Jiall almost beggar descrintion. A "Press representative went to the side door in Gloucester Street shortly after a quarter past seven, and found it surrounded by a pushing and struggling crowd pt men and women. The pressure of people was treirendous, and quite a number of the ladies endeavoured too late to retreat. J t was impossible- to move in any direction except with the crowd, and that carried everybody inexorably towards the open door. The protests of the more chivalrous of the male sex to give the ladies a clear way out were disregarded. . iho doorkeeper, it was said, had vanished with his hat knocked off and his coat ripped to pieces. People were trying to force their war out, and some were asFihting ladies towards the door. Ihe inflowing stream was. however, too powerful and nothing short of extreme physical forco could carry anyone through. The crowd had possession of every inch of standing and sitting room, and; people, were perched 'in every conceivab o position, liven the pillar? had people cliifin" to them, who hung to them plecariou.sly. The edge of the platform was fringed with a closely packed row of people, nml the tables set apart for the u--o of the reporters Usui disappeared under a'human lead.- The pressmen who had gone to report the meeting had tho almost unique experience of not even catching a glimpso of their tables so ef"ctivelv wero tU> articles of furniture being utilised by a portion of the crowd.

'A Conference and Its Result. In tho meantime the Mayor arrived, and at tho back of the stasf he wa S soon in earnest conversation with the ch of citv inspector and Mr. Mnsscy. Che- iesult of the conference wn.s that the Ua.joi appeared on the stage in front of the audience. He was received with cheers 2 counter cheers, and it was at once cvid("it that ho had a largo number of lends in the audience. The am.ouncen£t he made was ono which must havo antieinated. The Mn>or statea that, it was imndssiblo in the interests of Sic safety that any meeting could be hellVa building, so dangerously.small ami overcrowded. He was not going to to responsible for what might happen in a meeting in which there were no passes cleared for those of the public who wi'hecl to leave by them if necessary. He was "Oing to nsk whether the people stan ing in the pasjagos would leave and let them have .the conditions under which a public meeting could■ bo held, lailing that a meeting could not be hold. Mi. Mas«ey had informed him that if the clearing of tho passages could not be accomplished, ho would return to..Christchurch in a short time, and speak in the largest building that could be secured.

A Great Ovation. Atr , ' Massey then rose to speak. He was' -rected with thunderous applause, and ir was not until some minute bad elapsed that ho could, make himself heard, so long mid continuous was the ovation he received. . "With the Mayor," he said. "I regre exceedingly that a larger hall is not of Mr."■ Massej&i remarks are embodied in tho Press Association report given above.]

A GOOD-NATURED CROWD.

TOO DENSELY PACKED FOR SAFETY. Tho "Press," referring to Mr. Massey's meeting will say: We have recently felt it our duty to remonstrate with the people of Christchurch on thtir apparent apathy in ■• regard- to ■politics. A Her last night's meeting at the Choral Hall it is evident that they have now begun to wake up and we hnve every hope that tho coming general election wi 1 receive the attention which its importance demands. Long before the time fixed tor Mr Mas=ey's meeting it was evident that the Choral Hull, which gavo comfortable accommodation to the audience which nssombk'ri to listen to the ActingPrime Minister a few nights ago, would not admit nioro thnu one-fourth of tho crowd who were enger to hear the Leader of tho Opposition. It was a great pity that they wero doomed to disappointment. The Mayor, however, showed good judgment aiid put the matter jnth perfect^

fairness, wlien, aI'UT consultation with Mr. Massey, lu\ decided to close Iho meeting. It was impossible lo clear any of rho alleyways and it wns evident that with the building so densely packed it would have been dangerous to proceed. Any approach to a panic, winch might easily have been brought about in a public meeting wrought to u pitch of political excik-meiit, miglit have been attended with disastrous results. Mr. Taylor, as Mayor, naturally felt the responsibility of his position, and Mr. with a considerable experience of large meet ings, was forced to come to the same conclusion. It was a goml-nalured crowd, which thronged the ' building, and it was evident from the excellent reception with which Mr. Massey was greeted that lie would have had ii splendid hearing. >le. has promised tho people nf Chiistchureh, however, that he will tome bark at tho earliest possible date and address them in the biggest hall which can l>? secured, and if lie cannot address thorn all ill one night, ho will speak again and again until all have had till opportunity of hearing from his lips what are the aims and objects of tho Opposition party, and what it is they hope to do. HOW THE CROWD GOT OUT OF CONTROL. IMPOSSIBLE TO HOLD THE FORT. Tho secretary of tho Political KefoTm Xeague, who bore traces of having come through a rough time, gave u. "Press" reporter to-night an account of the experiences of himself and the door- [ keepers. The instructions he received i from the committee of tho Canterbury ■ Political Reform League were to admit ■ to the hall up to 7-15 p.m. every person > who produced a ticket, mid to admit them only by the Gloucester Street door. The iViar on being opened to one-half its extent at 7 o'clock was immediately rushed by the crowd outside. Many applied fa* J admission who did not have tickets, and the secretary, and the two doorkeepers \ with him, were doing their best to keep ■ them out. This state of affairs continued 1 for about a quarter of an hour, when, ow- " ing to the pressure from outside, the three ■ men found it impossible to longer hold the \ fort. A tall man who had no ticket, but [ who was accompanied by a lady possessing one, was denied admittance, and losing his ! temper he struck the secretary of the league in the middle of the forehead. The man's name and address are fortunately ' known. In the meantime the hall had ■ been successfully raided in the rear by some unauthorised persons. It was discovered before the Gloucester Street door was, opened that the key of the door at another corner of tho hall at the back was missing, and the door was fastened up with cord and nails. "When the crowd got tho upper hand at the Gloucester Street door the party attacking the hall from the rear had effected an entrance. Some unauthorised persons got insido to the front of the hall, and overpowered the two doorkeepers who were stationed there to allow only ladies and their escorts to go into the 'galleries. The largo main doors and the hall were then opened by these . same persons, and then came the deluge, the crowds pouring in from all quarters. By half-past seven the hall was crowded. fine of tho doorkeepers at the Gloucester 5 Street door had his coat partly torn off 3 his back in the scuffles that took place.