M. PAYNE AND HIS CONSTITUENTS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1390, 16 March 1912, Page 5

M. PAYNE AND HIS CONSTITUENTS.

-—*—•>. A STORMY MEETING. ABOUT PLEDOES. A VERY PERTINENT QUESTION. GATHERING ENDS IN UPROAR. (By Telfufraali.-Special Correspondent,) Auckland, March 15. A stormy meeting of übout 700 people mot Mr. J. Payne in k\\e Tivoli Theatre this ovoning upon his first public appearance in Uroy Lynn since the prorogation of Parliament. Tho proceedings lasted lor nearly four hours, during which Mr, Payne, in spito of much hostile demon, etration from a largo Bection of the tindienco, delivered his speech and answered several questions. Cheering and hooting were mingled with equal vigour when Mr, Payno nnd his chairman (Mr. A. Cathoy) appeared on the platform, and there wero cries of "twister." There was much uproar during the somewhat lengthy speech liy which tho chairman introduced Mr. l'ayno. He was intorrupted every few uiimitos, but insisted that lie would not call upon Mr. l'ayno until the audience had given him an opportunity to complete his remarks. During the earlier part of his speech, Mr. Payne excited much indignation .by his references to tho Opposition, and at intervals tho disturbance was resumed and tho meeting was finally closed by (ho chairman amidst an uproar that made his remarks inaudible a lew feet from tho stage. No motion of any kind was submitted to the meeting. "He Should Resign," Mr. Payno said ho hoped the audienc* would treat him with British fairness. When he had finished ho would answer any questions submitted to him. Reference to the Leader of the Opposition excited cheering for Jlr. Jlussey. There was an impression abroad, said Mr. Payne, that Mr. Massey had apologised merely as a. matter of procedure, and tho rumour of bribery was revived. At this stago tho chairman appealed for .order, and asked that Jlr, Payno should be allowed to defend his liouour.. .A voice: lie should resign. Mr. Payno continued that tho revival of tho rumour hud compelled him to tho decision that ho must push Mr. Massey as far as the lnw allowed, nnd as tho use of tho famous letter had been declared a broach of privilege he intended to commence a legal action against Mr. Massey. Tho Tory party, Mr. Payne declared, was trying to get the people into its grip. A voice: It put you in. Sir. Payno declared that capitalism was , making a determined stand against trades unionism , and Socialism, and tho Opposition was trying to deceive the peoplo by" specious lies, misrepresentation, nnd innuendoes. TTTo chargo that the Government's linanco was reckless and plunging had been controverted by tho fact that with one exception every loan had been supported by every member of the Opposition. Statements could not bo made in tho House with impunity, Thoy i ■ A voice: That will bo rough on you. "Unreasoning Prejudice," Mr. Payno asserted that the hostility manifested against him was due to unreasoning prejudice, and tins remark excited another outburst of interjections. It was only with the administration that tho Reform party found fault, and tha Labour membera had brought about a reconstruction of tho Government, which was the mission with which they had been sent to Parliament. Tho, preponderance of the farming interest mado it futile for the Labour party to hopo to secure a majority of members in tho House. Its objcot eliould bo to increase tho present strength of four to a party of twenty, to maintain a progressive Liberal-Radical-Labour party. Mr. Payno denounoed in violent terms the criticism of hie action by the Her. W. Gray Dixon, He then proceeded to review in detail the proposals in the' Governor's Speech, though there was frequent impatient stamping, . Pledflei, Presently thcro wore acclamation* , about pledges, but Mr. Payne insisted in , making his epeech in his own way. The disturbance was renewed, and the chairman rose again, and remained on his foot for over five minutes, during which _a. large section of tho audience stamped him. into inaudibility. The audience was evidently willing to give Mr. Payne a hearing, and lie proceeded to read from Hansard a report of the speech delivered by him in the HouEe during the no-confl-deuco debate. Thcro was much demonstration atevery mention in the epeech of tho speaker's pledges, nnd Mr. Payno oxelainiod that if it could be shown that ho bad broken any ono of his pledges, or if there was any somblnnoe of breaking, lie would resign at once. On no occasion had: ho Riven a pledge to voto against tho Ward Administration on a general no-oonßdenco motion. ' . Voices: Yes, you did it on every plat-* form. , "Even if I b«<l made- tho most pacrod and binding pledge to do a certain action " he added, "which later on appeared to i'ne and proved to mo that I would nuih tho workers of this Colony into the voracious maw of the Tory crowd, ( I would Mill have broken that pledge. In response to an interjected request, Air Pavno road the report of Mr. Harris's snoech in the House, and the. sentiments expressed by the member for Waitomnta wero loudly applauded. duostlons. Questions wore invited, and a member of the audience asked whether Mr. Payno hnd stated in the House, 7.*« n -i "S" and I have openly admitted in he House, that I pledged myself to vote against tho Ward Administration." Mr. Payno replied that ho bod made Hi at element, but it referred only to the conditional pledgo mado by mm. There was another outcry nt this stage. Mr. W. Hnmill declared that to him and to MY. Murray (tho Opposition candidate) Mr. Payno had given a defimln undertaking that he would voto against the Ward Administration. A lengthy argument followed between Mr. Payne' and Mr. Hnmill. Mr. 1 ,, '. Brinsden, a member of tho Grey Lynn Borough Coune.il, offered to contribute .£SO towards his expenses if Mr. Payno would resign nnd contest the scut again. "If s>9 per cent, of tho peoplo of Grey Lynn signed a petition asking me to resign," was Mr. Payne's reply,' "I should demand thnt I should be allowed to ?tay in Parliament three years to prove that I urn right." A number of questions on general politics were answered, and tho meeting was doclaral closed, cheers being given for Mr. Payne, Mr. Massey, and Mr. Fowlds,