PRIME MINISTER'S TOUR

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 70, 16 December 1919, Page 10

PRIME MINISTER'S TOUR

ENTHUSIASTIC WELCOME EVERYWHERE SEVERAL LARGS GATHERINGS" ADDRESSED • - SUCCESSFUL MEETING IN NAPIER (By Telegraph.—Special Reporter.) Napier, December loin continuation of his triumphal lour the l'rimp Minister, the Hon. W. P. Massey, arrived at linlnierstun North today by the Auckland express and received an enthusiastic welcome. He immediately proceeded to the Palace Theatre, where he spoke for about an hour and a half. Despite the short notice and th.v early hour the building was crowded with electors eager to hear Mr. Massey. Mr. P. M'Hardy was in tho chair, "and associated with Mr. Massey on the platform was Mr. J. A. Nash, Government candidate for Palmeiston. Mr. Massey received a splendid hearing nnd impressed his audience with his wonderful vigour after such prolonged and arduous tours. A small sprinkling of extremists were in evidence at the meeting, but in handling their interjections Mr. Massey invariably scored heavily, so much so that on his concluding he received an ovation. The meeting accorded him a very hearty vote, of thanks for his address, and his departure from the hall was the signal for massed and ringing cheers for the Prime Minister and tho Government. By all the tokens, if there ever were any doubts as to tho size of the IMofm candidate's majority over Labour for the Palmerston seat, these were all dispelled by the universal enthusiasm with which the lender of tho Government was greeted at Palmerston N-M'th. Prom Manawatu's rttnital Mr. Massey travelled by ear to Woodville, and en route h? frequently gracefully acknowledged the extempore greetings, rounded off bv hearty- cheers. At'Woodville, despite tho inconvemof the. hour, the townspeople were insistent that the Prime Minister should honour them with an address. Mr. Masses, who was received with marked cnt'l'usiasm, delivered an address from tho Po*t Olliee <=bra before n large and ordeily patl'ering, presided over by the Mayor-, Mr. Horn, who extended the Prime Minister a hearty welcome on behalf of the citizens and eulogised his sI.M"-mnn<dii» and untiring energies on behalf of the Pnminion, at the Peace Conference in pnrr>n!ar. Mr. M'Nicol, who is enntestin" I he Pahiatua seat in < l io interests of Koform, was among those who met Mr. Massey on arrival, and he also was enthusiastically received on all sides. Mr. Massey drove of)' amid cheers, after being accorded a most favourable hearing. ■Ml Daoncvirko turned out to meet llie Prime- Minvdor on his arrival there early in the afternoon.- Tie was met by the 'Mavor at the head of an influential nnd representative groin) of citizens. Jt wa' his original intention to sneak in the open air. but on account of tho overwhelming numbers the meeting was fciii.Merral to the Town Hall, and there ho siwke for upwards of an hour. h:s artdross bein" received with enthusiasm, in his speech" he dwelt on the necessity of coping with the problems of peace. Mr. Mn'sev was heartily cheered on concluding nnd was accorded n hearty vote ot thanks. . ■ The Prime Minister then entrained on the mail train for Nap'er, and in passing through Hastings he was accorded another impressive welcome by the Mavor, Mr. G. Ebbctt, on behalf of a sneering of citizens assembled on. the platform.' , r . . . , .. Napier saw the Prime Ministers big effort, and despite the fact that ho was ■invading tho'TviberaK stronghold ho-pu-t wilh mi outstanding-success..- The sue-, en;s of fiis'niissiou. augurs; well for,-tho ■showing'of- UioEefonn candidate, Mr.

II IT. Hi!', a-ninst Mr. Vigor Brown. At the h.'l Mayoral contest for Napier Mr. Brown was only .(lircc votes ahead o!' Mr. Hi", .mil shice ihen the Liberal ir-prcsonlative's muna .has still further waned. v Mr. oMnssev's sneech was delivered in the Municipal Theatre, and lons before the advert's.'-d' time of commencement tho building was crowded out to 'the door. ITuiiflvod? had to be turned awav. and inside the building scores were perched on the railimr above the wings, while, hundred* of others were seated on Hie commodious stow. The chair was occupied In Air. G. Keli.v, who remarked that Mr. j[«-'/5v h.id come home covered with -rtory, mil also, like so many our hum)."lie had c::ue back to fight. (Thunderous applause.) Elsinß to speak, Mr. Massey was- greeted with prolonged applause, which effoctivelv drowned, a discordant note struck by a : small section of the audience. Ho Had Barely commenced to speak when organised interruption wni brought to bear., This he met. not ■with platitudes nnd conciliatory promises, but with uncompromising firmness, coupled with tho announcement that he was there to speak, and speak he would; Speedily ho bore down the extremists' organised effort to break un his meeting and thereafter he had no trouble in commanding the resneet and attention of the big house. Sporadic intcrioetions were ski.fullv handled by Mr. Massey, whoso address was punctuated with applause from an overwhelmingly large section of tho audience. When assuring the that lie fullv realised the importance of completing the East Coast railway, the Prime Minister was interrupted with tho remark; "Y-ni turned it down." "Tho "people who say that the Government turned it'down don't know what they aro talking about," rejoined Mr. Massey. "When the war wa? going on we realised it was absolutely impossible to carry on a great public works policy, and do our duty at the same time, consequently works throughout the country were closer! dowft ou account of the shortnec. of , labour and material, and yours was one of the. lines that suffered." Mr. Massey ' Added that it was the Government s firm intention if returned to power to proceed with these works to their completion at tho very earliest date. (Applause.) . , The audience was swept off its feet with enthusiasm when Mr. Massey; went on to say that if the Government s proposals wore carried edit he was satisfied that within a reasonable time there would not be a home in the country in which electricity was not m us». Toii' ,, 'ing the AVaikaremoana sblienielie eaid'thc'omi'trv was fortunate in having such a hug'J supply of power waitinir to be tapped. Irrespective of what some-of-the newspapers had to, say, he said he would definitely promise that this scheme would be gone on with, nnd its vast resources made available at the earliest possible date. Mr. Massey disarmed the small eoterio of interjeetoi's on the subject of the West I Coast coal miners' visionary grievances, and added: "The only people opposing (he Government are the small, noisy minority repro-'ontcd here to-night." This sally was greeted with sustained npnlause from ninetoen-twontietlis of tho audience. As Mr. Massey concluded, somebody called: "Three' cheers for Labour." A. fi-eN? respond from less than one hundred throats was the result, which moved the prino Minister to remark: "Well, that is a miserable cheer! It is not a British cheer: it is a foreign cheer." Tho meeting broke up enthusiastically and with an entire e!'-ence of disorder. No questions were nslcd, and tho hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Massey. which was carried bv acclamation, brought the most successful Deform demonstration in tho history of Napii r to a close. To-morrow Ur. Massey will motor to Fahiatna, returning to Hastings at nWit, in which town he will fire his final shot in the campaign.