CRUSHED AGAIN

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8738, 21 May 1914, Page 4

CRUSHED AGAIN

Mr Massey lias made a delated observation or two in reply to the published facts about the packing of his meeting in the Auckland Town Hall some weeks ago. When asked by a representative of the squatters’ organ whether he had anything to sav about the allegations, the Tory leader said that “ns a matter of fact, they were scarcely worthy of notice.’’ This is, to say the least, very rough on Mr Ernest A. James, general secretary of the New Zealand Political “Reform” League. It will bo remembered that ou the appearance of an article in these columns setting out the facts about the packing, the secretary of Mr Massey’s league of purity and “Reform” was so disturbed that ho telegraphed instanter for information. Ho got it. The vicepresident of the Auckland “Reform League immediately dispatched a tele gram —which Mr James very kindly sent to us for publication—stating that some minutes before it had been announced by advertisement that the public would be admitted to hear the Prime Minister, the doors had to be closed to prevent the hall being dangerously overcrowded. That is the central fact of the whole affair, as reported in the Auckland newspapers and corroborated by the “Reform” general secretary —that at the advertised hour at which the doors were to have been thrown open to the public, every seat and every inch.of standing room was occupied by favoured persons who had been previously admitted. And now Mr Massey says tho publication of the facts was hardly worthy of notice—after Mr James had gone to all tho trouble and expense we have mentioned! Really, wo cannot help feeling somewhat sympathetic towards Mr James. Only last week we had Mr Tammany Hino denouncing the secretary’s tactics in respect of a certain notorious letter, and now the Tory leader has, in effect, declared that the same official’s activities in regard to the dispatch, receipt, and publication of telegrams were so much wasted effort. We do 'not like to see tho secretary getting these hard knocks, for ho is a valuable and useful asset to Liberalism. Wbat is more, wo owo it to him to acknowledge that ho proved the packing of tho Auckland meeting. .Mr Massey, by the way, says the meeting in question was the best he ever saw —which is further circumstantial evidence in support of the allegations which have been made in this newspaper by Mr James and ourselves.