AN UPROARIOUS END.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1303, 5 December 1911, Page 9

AN UPROARIOUS END.

PREMIER'S MEETING AT WINTON. MEETING GETS OUT OF HAND. (By TcleeraDh— Press Association.) Winton, December 4. Sir Joseph Ward addressed a meeting at Winton to-night which was attended by about 1500 people. On entering, tho I'rime Ministor was accorded a hearty reception, and on rising to speak was again greeted with loud cheering. 1 Ho said he was able to. bring good news as to the principal items ot revenue for tho eight luoulhs ended November 30. The total reveuuo for the period of 1911 was .£5,901,860, that for 1010 being .£5,463,301. 1 lie increases woro: Customs, ,£107,547 stamps, jE191,7U; post and tolegraph •110,531} beer <liity, *£2990; railways ; registration fees, .11.1,112.'!; marine, ,£18,019; terric£3OD6. Tlioro was a dccreaso of •2b,575 in land and incomc tax, attributable to tho later payments this year, A comparison of revenuo for the years ending November 30, 1910, and 1911, showed: 00-p O /* jf-2,918,894—,£3,195,376, increase-■£-<0,152. Stamps (including post and teleB S h ,L "®}<6os, increase ■£3-2,„i0. Post and tolegraph cash receipts, ,£201,404—<£221,792, increaso .£20,388. Land and income tax, ,£971,492—,£1,020,383 I ?, c n l '. C n SC '■£*?,891. Beer duty, .£11(5.975— '"crease ,£(115. Railways. •83,442, / 29—£3,618,649, increaso .£175,920. Registration fees, ,£87,50&—-C113,649,' increase .£26,141. Marine, 1,935—,£47,656, l ?o C ( r - K !m 4 2 ' 21 - Miscellaneous, .£293,141— J.«Sr® aSC .•£51.700. Territorial A234,000—i!208,125, increaso -624,073. The customs revenue for November exceeded tnat ot the corresponding period of last year by .£62,000. The total Customs revenue for the eight, months of the present S™ J' ear ,ra s <£2,126,100, being £126,000 over the estimate. Tho Customs IM7 ""pi P i er: o i population Was, in £2 l, 7s - Bd.; 1909.: nnrv n'p Vk ' ' 1( ! s " Tbe buoyancy of the revenue placed the couiitrv near y Mooo betfe? than the prS' ?■ , months ended November 30. thn^nr!, Se -?k ; vent on to criticise pp 2? f!ader 3 speeches. He saidMessrs. Hall, Ensor and Acland had declarloador I™" 1 ,? not support Mr. Massey as loader. It ho had done what had been wonM £ : r d r 6t °P pe(l borrowing ho 2 f^. JlSl r tHI tradfi «>d thrown mit of work a large number of men Stted if ¥ d ***" •fated by Mrill™■ Statement, as line' M H A "°f' s ,?tatements"famlfiar mA Ws ha< i decri<:(l the Government Men .members ? f tho Ministry, jTssrs tL nnnnlit l V llCre 01031 ab " M(l V s mSwL W n" now held th em up ft mi (t 0 Government's iniquity' lie t'rX a PP ()ll }t'nent.s to the I'ublio Sen ice and isaul ungenerous nnd the J wholo n ° f p P, ositi<)lli ? t3 had besmirched tne whole of the service. If t was tnie that, wrong appointments had been made then names should bo supplied 1' lis tlb Opposition had failed to do. He Baid the difference between a paper currency and a State note issued that the former was gr<!?nback, and unsunporttt™ t °PP°sed it, and would cony f (n . S °' ii st ate note- issue thnn to „ r haio a 'W ld security of not l(Sss ! b . " f' P? r «nt. of the yaluo of the „J'iJ; lrcula,:ion - the limit of which « a ° 0- slr- P°? g lmd advocated a paper currency which would' brill" about financial disaster. Ho had himself - sunie 1894 been a linn believer in .1 state noto issue. Regarding Mokau, he read the letter to Mr. M'Nab from tho lleform pnrtv a supporters protesting against the attituc|j that jmrty had taken regarding tho deal. He traversed tne whole transaction as in previous speeches. He assorted that a malicious slander was I»H®iflmdc»u?au)f otafttKe. northern parts of this country, But which would recoil oil the heads of those -re6ponsib:o; for it. '•

Referring,-t° a proposal .that had been, mad© by tho Onposition that"votes for roads should come through a local body. -") '* this had been so, there would have been hundreds of men at the present timo who could have been without roads.: Tho Public Bodies Bill proposed to be brought down by the Government was a comprehensive one, and would meet with approval. Speaking of the totalisator, he mentioned the two Gaming Acts which had been brought into effect in support of his attitude, and said that on two occasions ho had saved tho Winton Eaceconrse irom losing its license altogether. He wild that ho had never brought down a liiil to-abolish the totalisator, - and was favourable now to the present gamin" law being continued. Ho had never been against horse-racing, but tho old law had been tho cause of thousands of people being ruined. He had himself ordered th° dismissal. of five or six hundred voitths in the Public Service who had been degraded by acquiring the betting habit. . It rested with the people now running sport to seo that another reaction was not created by it. In answer to an interpolation to the effect that Mr. Masscy had had a bigger meeting, he said he did not begrudgo Mr. ilassey having a large meeting in Winton, but he had protested against tho uso that had been made of the fact, and complained against the unfair treatment meted out to Him by the Press Association in this respect, .compared with Mr. Massey. It was recognised by all that the Government had done a lot for the country. It had" legislated for. every class, and had important measures now in view which it was intended to bring into effect. Ho kept three things beforo him: Ho had been on the sido of tho farmers, especially the small farmers, the workers and the small traders, and for the wholo of the eominunitv since coming inlo public life. Members of the Opposition during the last ten years h-xl never lifted a finger to do a single thing to help Awarua. Under his Administration the country had prospered. Towards tho conclusion, the meeting got' completely out of hand, cheers and groans and eountcr-cheers for Mr, Mas : sey being given, 'l'he opposing forces seemed equally divided. A number of questions were asked, eoino of the answers to which pleased and others did hot please tho audience. TII3 lights were turned out, and Sir Joseph Ward moved to leave the building. They were then relighted, and he resumed his seat. The noise was now terrific. A motion of .confidence was read by tho chairman, and declared carried, but it was impossible to say exactly- how it went. Cheering and ; counter-cheering mingled with groans and hoots • were given with cuslo, and the meeting brolco up'in anything but an orderly fashion.