A LIVELY MEETING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 337, 26 October 1908, Page 8

A LIVELY MEETING.

MR.,' GRAY AT. CHRISTOHURCH XORTBSEVERE PRESS.CRITICISM. (BI TELEQHAPH.—SPECIAL COItKKSroNDBNT.) , Chrlstchurch, October-24. - Mr. C. M. Gray, who is defending Christ* church North against Mr. '.T. ; E.. Taylor, had a very lively meeting last -night. He | stood three years '■ ago as - an .Independent . ; Literal,but - his views were so: much in accord'with- those of the .Opposition, that supporters of. that party did a great , deal v towards putting him in, .and. considerable resentment has been expressed at his speedy ascent into the position of a servile follower of the Government. At the .outset o£ his speech last night, Mt. Gray explained his-attitude; He said he was not long i.in' Parliament before he was made 'to feel very, •keenly' what. the position ,of a inon-party; man was in the House,-and. he found that if a member.: was. to do any good for- hia constituency or the 'iDonlinion ■ he must be identified with, one ; : or' other ,of- the two parties: The Independent ' member rWas the subject' of gibes and sneers, "and" was gener - ally looked uponas-, "nobody's child." Nearlyevery member, whoi had been--elected-as an ■ ■Independent Liberal -had ;sooner or- later joined'ofie .or other of .the parties. ■■ He hnd supported the Government- when he thought ; their measures were' 'in • the.-' interests' of- the people,\and ;he;.-had. also;vot6d--against the Uovernment'' the '"I Govern- • ment was in • a/minority. -'5*3 'considered ' ' tliat"' he had ■ fulfilled-'his:'duty >an In-.' dependent ■ He' had never entered a Whin's, room. . -.Mr. Gray devoted, a; very,: larger part or ; his speech to commenting on the- legislation ■ of tho three • sessions.: His 1 audience listened / with- ili-concealeil impatience,. aridt-.he was I. ■frequently invited' to get on ■to :i mbro interesting ■ and contemporary subjects. Mr. 'Gray; however, proceeded to deal exhaus- - tively with .the/tariff. .' A section' of the • audience occupying-a position at the -back of the hall ■ absolutely -refused to listen, and ' the noise raised caused tho figureß, read/, to become too. disjointed to be informing. The '' same disturbance continued with- slight m.termi'ssion - during the - speaker's references ■ to the land", legislation of 1907.;:-Then came a' long dissertation on* the superannuation funds with special reference' to the police fund. The candidate's references to this subject were punctuated .by of a more or less hostile-character. A portion. . of the audience seemed to have an insuperable objection to listening , to. figures, .-and;;; expressed their 'objection -loudly.. . One' elec- i tor invited Mr. Gray to* his i.figures-police-station. 'Mr. Gray and tho Saturday Half-Holiday t League do not see eye to eye,- and a good :" many of tho interruptions to. which he was ; subjected appeared to come from supporters of the half-holiday movement.- Ho stated that be had supported Mr* Millar* proposal under which the people would be ablo to decide the matter every two years by taking a .poll coincident with the election;,-of' councillors. In reply to, a question,.however, ha said that as a business man h<" was net m favour of the universal Saturday halfholiday.' .'(A Voice: "You're out," and laughter.) ' " .' ! Question time was the occasion of considoiv able disorder, and Mr. Gray was severely heckled on the half-holiday: question. . About' fifty hands were held up in favour of the motion of thanks and confidence out of sorno 300 or 400 present. Without calling' for tho dissentients, the chairman • tho motion carried: -..There'was a,roar, of disapproval, laughter, and ; cheers. Cheers and ■roans were given for Sir.-Gray, and then t here was a volley of cheers'.for Mr. Taylor. The " Press" deals with Mr. Gray with ho gloves off. His "independence" was -.idt, it remarks, of a lasting character. "It ime out in tho washing at a'_ very early stag® if his first session. Safe in his seat for three years, he deemed it advisablo to throw ill his 'lot with the Government party, or, as haput ,it, somewhat prematurely we' fear,, 1 to join the Ward, Ministry.' Since, then, as his constituency knows-, he has sinipiy been on<j of tho joints in the Government's tail. To his credit it may. be said that he has not been a great talker,, but tlion there lias been no need for. him to talk. The first Minister who spoke on any subject said all Mr. Gray would have said. Votes speak' louder-' than words, and few :menibers .li.Trc» voted oftener* or more consistently with tho Government than .the member for: Christchurch North. /He boasts of having voted in 350 out of the 352 divisions of the session of 1907, and in, every one of the 107 division* of last session. A pledged.freeholder, ho voted with tlie Government in all but ona of tho 48 or 49 divisions when the' Land . BtU was in committee. Ho voted with the Government throughout the debate on the Seo-r ond Ballot Bill, 'gag' clauso-and-ally and never opened his .mouth to protest even feebly against tho outrage, although he now says that lie does not like the second ballot, and thinks the Act a mistake. Mr. Gray's , independence and boldness in thus criticising a Government measure can only bo attributed to tho fact that the session is over. ' Tell us what you are, going.to do,' shouted a* elector weary of Mr. Gray's recital of de tails of.the legislation of tho three sessions and his own deeds in tho matter, of local Bills, ' but,' 'alas, fori- the candidate, ! he. dooJ not vet know what tho Government mean U do, if they know, themselves. How, there fore, can lie say what he, means to do i . elected? He lias yet to hear ' his master't voice.'"