TIMARU POLITICS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13464, 10 December 1907, Page 4

TIMARU POLITICS.

The satisfactory i report concerning his colleague's health which the Premier conveyed 1 ' to the gathering at the railway ~ station yesterday will -be, received -.with, j' the utmost pleasure in the Timaru constituency. Mr Hall-Jonea 'has. the personal esteem of political friends and' opponents .'■' alike, and all will join in congratulating him upon the favourable verdict received from the London specialists whom he -consulted, and upon the prospect of+a resumption of his Ministerial duties. Apart from purely personal considerations, . his return in sound trim will liberate the Opposition party! in. this district from the obligations imposed Upon them by his ■ enforced! absence from the countay.. Under • the circumstances, the organiser of I }he party, "■ Mr Martin, ' who recently spent! some time, in ,'adjoining electorates, , was unable to prosecute his campaign in the cento of South -'Canterbury,'' and under the same circumstances the Leader of the Opposition would no doubt have fell; it incumbent upon himself to omit Timaru ' from ibis itinerary when he comes south in tne early part of next year. We are therefore doubly glad that Mr .Hall-Jones , ( has made.'such an excellent recovery, and! that Mr, Massey need have no qualms about appealing on a Timaru platform when he is visiting this wait of the country. It is a .I'ong time since the / public of Timaru have had the opportunity of bearing Jhe Oppobition side of politics from a leading mfcunber of the party, and we have little doubt . the experience will do them gocdi, even if they make up (heir minds beforehand not to agree with him. Mr Maasey may be .able to .throw more light than the Premier was inclined to do 'yesterday upon such subjects as the disparity' in the treatment acco'idled to different constituencies ,in .the allocation of public money, but in whatever lie says he will be ab'.e to speak more freely when he knows that' the Minister who represents the district is physically equal to the task of laking the platform against him.