"FIGHT OF HIS LIFE,"

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1294, 24 November 1911, Page 8

"FIGHT OF HIS LIFE,"

Silt JOSEPH WARD'S SEAT. A well-known fanner of Waiauiwa, which 'is in tlio Awarua electorate in Southland, wroUi a letter .recently to his 111-other, who is u business man. in. Mastertun, and the latter has placed it at tho dispo.-al of the "Wairarapa J)aily Times." Tho peculiar interest attaching to tho letter is that the writer was, in past, years, a. warm supporter of Sir Joseph Ward. Wo make the following extract:— "I am writing this to see if you would forward a DiiMiniox new.-paper occasionally until election daj - , as we have no Opp'i.-itiun sheet in .Southland, and, of course, election news is one-sided. Never can I remember such excitement going an as tlicie is at present in Awaruii. Sir Joseph is going to have the light of his life, and although lie won't admit it, he knows it very well. When ho addressed the Winton electors, from tho paper which 1 forward ono geUs the opinion that it was a most enthusiastic gathering. From conversation with a lot of Winton people, I learn that such was not the case. Tho hooting was most tremendous. Ho addressed ns at Waianiwa. a. week later, and in former days it was a rush for each person to gather round him. Not so this time.. It was a very mixed reception ho got. His speech was a scream of abuso at tho Opposition. Inter alia, ho referred with indignation to Masse.v's. che<;k in coining to Winton ori tho 17th. A voioo bawls out, 'Ho is that.' And 'I'll be aft/jr him,' roars he. I drove to Winton last, night, where Massey addressed the biggest gathering ever held here, somo two thousand people listening. It was a. revelation to us who went un to hear him. You might havo heard the ehoers miles away; and when Sir Joseph's namo was mentioned, the groans were also pretty loud. Tho man who is opposing lum is Hamilton, a'small farmer about WintiDn, ago about 35 years."