MR. MASSEY'S MEETING DESCRIBED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12856, 3 May 1905, Page 6

MR. MASSEY'S MEETING DESCRIBED.

TRIUMPH FOP THE OPPOSITION.

SOME HUMOUROUS INCIDENTS.

[BY TK-UiGKAfH.— OWN COnߣSrO.\L'E.\r.J

Chkistchuboh, Tuesday

Chrislehurch is Hie home of Radicalism, the headquarters of .socialism, and a. stronglipid of Scddonism, and when I say that Mr. Massey addressed the largest, the most enthusiastic, the most unanimous, and the most cordial political meeting that lias been held here for years, von will understand the triumph he achieved at the Theatre Royal to-night. Before eight the building Was packed in every part, and huudreds of people wore unable to gain admission. When lie appeared on the stage, the Leader of the Opposition was icceived with a prolonged burst, of applause. Every pause in his speech was punctuated with cheers, ami when lie closed, and again when the motion of thanks was proposed, the plaudits of tlie enormous audience were deafening.

The meeting was a. political upheaval of .1 startling character, a result beyond the hopes of his most enthusiastic supporters. Speaking after the meeting. Si- John Hall declared that it was the best fighting speech he had ever heard in Canterbury, and that aptly describes it.. The meeting was not carried away by Mr. Massey's eloquence, ne is no master of rhetoric; it was convinced by his arguments. Mr. Massey dealt first with the policy of the Opposition, elaborating at considerable length the planks he has already innovated. The. audience followed every plank with enthusiastic cordiality. It appeared to realise that here at last was an honest reformer, and that the vide to which it had been-so long subjected was coming at last to an end. The mission of the Opposition. Mr. Ma-soy convinced them, was to liberalise, to reform, and to uplift the politics of this colony, and there was not a dissentient note in the whole assembly. He dealt first with the Puolic Revenues Act. driving home his arguments with the sledgehammer of fact, and at every point his hearers shouted their satisfaction! The £40 steal, the stultification of the Auditor-General, the want of Parliamentary supervision of the three great Departments of State -the Customs, Railways, and Lands—were all dealt, with rapidly, incisively, and with the most telling effect. Next Mr. Massey passed on to the Legislative Council, and by this time he had the meeting fairly in bis grip. The attitude of the Premier, his inconsistency, his beating up of the party to prevent the passage of- the Reform Bill brought, down by a, private member, made the audience roar with laughter and applause. Then, in order, he touched on the Public Service Board, finance, the land question, and several other points in the Opposition platform: Perhaps his most remarkable triumph was in connection with the land question. This is said to be the centre of the land nationalises. Here the party has its strongest organisation, and most representation in Parliament, and the meeting listened to him with the most patient sympathy and approval. There was no dissent, and the most hearty and spontaneous applause. The latter portion of the speech was largely a reply to Mr. Seddon at Pahiatua. How complete that reply was a perusual of the repent will show, but it will not show the effect it had upon an already excited audience, and when, in reply to "the Premier's remarks about the 3s oil per day paid to men on cooperative relief works in 1887, Mr. Massey quoted from Hansard a speech by Mr. Seddon, that the wages of such men should not exceed 4s or 5s per day, the audience rocked with laughter. • His commendation of the Mapourika picnic and the travelling allowances drawn by the Minister in charge of it, drew shouts of " shame" from the audience, and when he went on to describe the " spoils to the victors" policy of the Government, and to refer to the Premier's Northern speech, in which Mr. Seddon said it was impossible to look with an equally kindly eve on constituencies which returned Oppositionists to Parliament, cries of '' Tammany" rang through the building. , Perhaps the most amusing- incident of the whole meeting occurred near its close. Mr. Massey was answering questions, and one was handed up by a prominent Government supporter, on the back of a telegraph form. Instead of leading it, the Mayo., by mistake, road the telegram. It was from the Premier, advising the recipient by all means to give Mr. Massey a "turn." The wrath of The questioner at the disclosure of the contents of the telegram, and the humour of the situation, was too much for the audience and the speaker, and the building resounded with a roar of laughter. The telegram was: perfectly genuine, and Mr. Seddon will probably have something to say to his indiscreet supporter for disobeying ids instructions, and for giving him so completely away. The demonstration was a unique one, more particularly as Mr. Massey has none of the arts of the orator, and relied for his effects on no rhetorical declamation. The Opposition movement has received a great fillip in Canterbury by the speech, and the partyis more enthusiastic and confident than it lias ever been during the past 12 years.