WELLINGTON CENTRAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1311, 14 December 1911, Page 6

WELLINGTON CENTRAL.

SPEECH BY MR. FISHER. GREAT MEETING AT THE TOWN HALL. • .■■•;■ There are few meu in New Zealand who can attract an audience of 3500 people and hold their..unflagging attention during a. political speech, but Mr; I'. M. B. Fisher did it at the Wellington Town Hall last evening, and did it easily. The audience, which had begun to assemble an hour before the advertised time, tilled tho hall to overflowing. Dr. Kington Fyife playe"d a number of selections on the organ. When; Mr.' Fisher (accompanied by.his.wife, mother, and sister) made his appearance on the platform the suppressed excitement of those Who had assembled to hear him broke all bounds. The great. audience roso en masse, and greeted the candidate with ringing cheers. The organist played "See the Conquering Hero Comes," but tho music of the grand organ was almost drowned by the tempest of cheers. Seldom, if ever, iias anyone had such an enthusiastic reception in the Town Hall. All through the evening Mr. Fisher held easy sway over his audience. Applause and cheers were frequent. Hostile remarks and,some feeble attempts'.'at-hostile demonstration wero an unimportant detail in the extreme background'of/'thingi. Commencing his address, Mr.' Fisher touched upon the relations of ' Labour with the Reform party. It was recognised, he claimed, that any combination was justified at the present time which was likely to bring about the downfall of an oll'ete. Administration. (Applause.) Mr. Fisher was cheered when he said that he hoped on the following evening to walk in as Sir Joseph Ward passed out.

~ Mr, .Fisher turneduan.'.occasional, hostilo'"interjection' to''good 'account." One man, as Air. Fisher • was speaking about tho extravagant expenditure of the Government upon the Parliamentary Buildings, interrupted him , with the remark: "You won't be in them!" ■ ■''

Mr. Fisher: "Yes, I will! I daresay you think that by your interjecting at my meeting there is a chance of you being a messenger in them!" (Loud laughter.)

Mr. Fisher said he would repeat before this vast audience a statement he had previously made, . that if he ever found a party in power that marked time or went backwards, he would do his best to throw it down. As showing his position Mr. Fisher quoted the following telegram from himself to Mr. Masse?.-- _, . .

' Am I not justified in saying publicly that I gave you conditional support for purpose of ousting Ward?" Mr. Massey replied: "Certainly. Understanding was that wo should work together to oust a bad Government." A voice: Yon will never do it. Another voico: You have done it! Mr. I'ishor: I can see in imagination the hand of tho Prime Minister furtively clutching the keys of office, ready to hand them over. Ho knows also that even if ho won every second ballot there are men in his own party to-day who aro ready to turn at the first opportunity.' It was no more true, Mr. Fisher declared, that tho wealthy landowners wore behind the /Opposition than that they were behind , the Government. (Applause and "Hear, hear.") The present Government evidently had the welfare of the wealthy landholders at heart, because it had not the courago to tax them as they should be taxed. (Applause.) His opponent said Mr. Fisher, had stated.that lie had never been defeated in standing for any public body. As a matter of .fact, Mr. Fletcher was defeated when he .first/stood for.tho Wellington- Harbour Board. • :.. '.'/',. -A voice': "Ho knows it, but he has a bad memory!" Mr. Fisher: Well, I havo not. (Applauso.) At question time Mr. Fishor was handed a horseshoe, the symbol of good luck. At sight of it the audience Broke into cheering and applause. Mr. Fisher answered a large number of questions to tho satisfaction of his hearers. A vote expressing confidence in Mr. Fijher, and u determination to do everything possible to return him at tho head of the poll, was 'carried, amid a scene of trmnendous enthusiasm. A long sustained roll of cheering was followed by "three times three," given with great vigour. In returning thanks, Mr. Fisher said he honed tn represent his Labour friends as well as if Mr. Young had been elected.

MR. FLETCHER'S CAMPAIGN. MEETING AT THE DRUIDS , HALL. Mr. K, Fletcher, the Government candidate for- Wellington Central, addressed his last-meeting of his election campaign in tho Druids' Hall last night. There was a crowded attendance.

Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P., look the chair, and ho talked a little longer than the custom of a chairman is, to tell the people that Mr. Fletcher was worthy of their support,.and to express the hope that Mr. Floteher would get it. Mr. Fletcher said that although he could not hope to got the majority Mr. Wilford had, he hoped to get somewhere near it. At any rate, if.he was returned tp Parliament ho would vote for the' abolition of the Second Ballot Act; he would' prefer proportional or preferential ■voting. The, question the people had to settle was a very crucial one; they Iwd to decide whether the Mossey party was to rule'tho destinies of this country, or whether tho Liberal and Labour party which had run tho country for the last 20 years should continue to run it. Some moro about the "olii 'IV™- ~--*-".,,,,| then a little about "the alleged tony, » spectable paper publisneci .n )U',...i,.\i.n (The Dominion). "A rag," ho called it. But, ho added afterwards, "I always go to The Dominion when I want some information. It's always wrong, but I always like to get it. Of course, you all take The Dominion—the working man's papor.)) His last reference to the jiapcr was prompted by an accident—he dropped a type-written list of tho names of The Dominion shareholders on to tho floor; ".lust about where it ought to Ix\" he remarked. One of the object* of tho Opposition was to take away the balance of the land that belongs to the "poor old Maori." and another object wa? to (,'et Juto office. Tho proposal to give the fro*

hold of ft!)'.) years'.leases at. the original yaliio was one of the biggest bribes ever held out to the people of (his country. A vote of thanks and eonfidonn' was carried unanimously, and there wore also cheers foe tho candidate. .