WELLINGTON.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 20 December 1911, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

NOT YET BEATEN. Sir Joseph Ward addressing a large gathering inside the. l> Times " office, Wellington on Thursday evening after tho results were all in, said: ll© was suro that the country had been going through a vory strenuous fight, for some time pas'. The returns of the elections which had come to hand during the evening wc-ro not \ et final. Ho was quito prepared to accept the ultimate judgment of the people, but ho wanted to raako it clear that at the moment of speaking the Ministerial paity was not yet Lenten. (Cheers.) He recognised that the closeness of the political parties was going to create a positii-i! and feeling of utivost for, probably, some timo. -This \wu quite apparent to him and also, lie believed to the people It was not his iutention to.refer in tiny way to the irerhoda employed during the recent contest, the time was inopportune for so doing, but he was sure his hearers •would agree with him that some of the men on the Government side who had gone down in the fight in differ^ ;<nt parts had been true to tho people and had done their utmost to cany on the affairs of the country tor the benefit of Now Zpaland as a whole, as well as the particular districts the}' represented iv a way thnt reflected the greatest credit upon them. He was very sincere in expressing his sym < pathy for the men who. had fallen in the battle. The Prime Ministeiyon subsequently leaving for his home, was followed by a largo crowd of enthusiastic supporters to Awnrua House. There, in response to calls, Sir Joseph Ward briefly addressed them, and at the close " ftor He's a Jolly Good Fellow '' was heartily sung.