BOUND FOR WINTON.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1287, 16 November 1911, Page 6

BOUND FOR WINTON.

MR. MASSEY INTERVIEWED. thh ntosPBCTS of reform. -Mr. W. V. Massey, Leader of the Opp* sition, arrived in Wellington by tho Napier express lust evening, and left an hour and a half Inter by tho steamer for the south. He is bound for Winlon, where on Friday evening he will deliver o counterblast to the recent speech by Sir Joseph Ward. A IJojiiKioK representative, to whom Mr. Massey accofdal a brief iukiviuw, ioiind him in excellent health ond in fheeri'ul spirits. In uo way exhausted by his recent exertions, M r.' Massey is "» capital lighting form, and is looking forwaiil with confidence to the outeomo of tho approaching election, "So tar as the prospects of tho p~rtjare concerned," he remarked, "J. should just like to say that 1 believe if tho <-ioeUon were to take place to-morrow our chances of wearing a majority would bo better than Iho ehancos of tho Government. I have looked into tho position as carefully as it'is possiblo for mo to do, and that is tho conclusion I have como to. "There is not the slightest doubt," ho continued, "that many thousands of people who formerly supported tho Government are now supporting the Reform party. Take Kketahuiia, for instance. 1 am (old that it was formerly considered a Government stronghold. There may bo some Government supporters still, but I was unable to .weany in the meeting that; I addressed there tho other night. Tho meeting at Napier was a particularly good one. The theatre was packed, scarcely standing room being available, and yet there was hardly a hostile interjection from beginning to end. 'There was no doubt that a very largo majority of present were supporters of the Reform 6ide in politics. '"These," said Mr. Massey, "are only instances of what seems to be going on all over the North Island. 1 cannot speak so positive!}' about tho South Island becanse I have not yet had an opportunity of seeing for myself hov; things are going there. However, reports from most places are distinctly favourable." Mr. Massey mentioned a proposal raised in Napier that Reform party and Labour party sympathisers in that elector, ato should support a single candidate instead of each appointing a eandidato independently. "The Labour party in Napier," said Mr. Massey, "has secured tho services of a particularly good man in Mr. Hill and we liavo a good and representative man in Mr. Crowley. Tho opinion was freely expressed that it would l>e a very good thing, instead of running lx>th, to make an arrangement by which one candidate would withdraw in favour of the other. My opinion was asked and I promised to fall in with any arrangement that tho joint committees might mako and to assist the chosen candidate with any influence at my command."

Sir. Mnssoy has been kept informed by his woll-wishers as to what is going on in tho electorates of lu's Ministerial opponents, and ho liae formed his own opinion ns tp their prospects. "Sir Joseph Ward," ho remarked, "is Reins' to have a hard fight. Sir. Buddo, to judge from accounts, is going to have the fight of his life. Very much the same thing applies to the Minister for Railways. Tho Hon. T. Mackenzie is not finding Egmont 'the soft thing 1 that ho expected, and in all probability Egmont will stick to its own member. The opponent of Srr. Roderick MlCenzic appears to' be doing well and to be attracting strong support. An to Sir John Findlny,' it is quite evident from his recent speeches that he realises that ho is not by any means certain of securing a majority in Parnoll."