MR. PAYNE'S PROMISE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 226, 22 March 1912, Page 6

MR. PAYNE'S PROMISE.

ASSERTION AND DENTAL. j A HOSTILE CROWD. Auckland, March 19. Six hundred people who gathered at Kingsland this evening were sadly disappointed of their expectations of making holiday of the meeting convened by Mr. John Payne, M.P. for Grey Lynn. It was the last of the series announced by him, and the Jubilee Hall was packed with a crowd that bulged out of the doorways. While they lasted, the proceedings were animated and boisterous, but twenty minutes after it was begun the meeting was abruptly terminated by the chairman (Mr. A. Catley). There was little encouragement in the noisy demonstration, for which .Mr. Payne's appearance was the signal. The chairman had learned a lesson from his previous experience. He was brief in his introduction of Mr. Payne. _ The latter adopted new tactics, stating that, instead of making a speech, be would answer any questions addressed to him, particularly by those who had been hooting. The first response to ths invitation was from a middle-aged man, who gained much applause by declaring that his vote had been given to Mr. Payne be- ; cause he had promised to vote against the Ward Administration. "Any fool can make any assertion," was Mr. Payne's reply. "Substantiate what you have said, and I will answer you." Uproar was let loose at this, and; amidst it, Mr. Payne shouted that there was no question. "I am going to try you to-night," Mr. Payne exclaimed. Amidst the disturbance created by his refusal to answer a similar question, a definite statement was made that in the King's Theatre and in the Tivoli Theatre Mr. Payne had distinctly promised to vote against the Ward Administration. He replied that at two meetings he had been questioned regarding his vote in ap robable no-confidence division, and before replying, had asked, "Brought on what grounds ?" A voice: You did not.

[ Mr. Payne: We shall have a show of ' hands on that question. How many of you say I did say "Brought on what grounds V A man and a woman held up their hands and then hurriedly withdrew them. The audience roared with derisive laughMr. Payne interjected that there was no common honesty in the room, and at that cheers were given with great vim for Mr. Massey. A call for cheers for Mr. Payne evoked a chorus of hooting. Mr. Payne added that he had underj taken to vote for a no-confidence motion , on the land question, but no one in general terms. There were many calls upon Mr. Payne to resign. "I will tell you why I will not resign," he declared at last. "There are 200 good hard-working people (evidently referring to his election committee) who are as much my friends' now as they were before the elections. I have to remain true and loyal to them, and take no notice of the brewer-cum-Fowlds-cum-Oppo-sition mob. I know the hirelings of the (meeting." "Mr. Bung put you in!" was the retort from someone in the audience, and after j having been counted out half a dozen times the chairman insisted that the asI sertion should be substantiated, i _ Several questions were asked regarding a statement made by Mr. Payne at St. Barnabas' Hall, Mount Eden, that he would vote against the Ward Administration. He replied that it had been wiped out of existence, for every Minister would resign on Thursday, and because after that day the Prime Minister would be a private member. Asked if he had not recently paid off a mortgage of £6OO on his house, Mr. Payne said the house he occupied belonged to his brother-in-law, and he himself had never had a house to mortgage. The chairman objected that the question should not have been asked, but was informed that it came from "one of his own people." He then declared the meeting closed. "And now you can all go out," added Mr. Payne, as the hostile demonstration which hid recurred throughout the meeting was renewed. There was some display of ill-will when Mr. Payne and his companions left the hall and started to walk through the crowd that had waited about. He was hooted, but there was no interference with him. A police sergeant and a constable considered it advisable to escort him to a tramcar, and they were followed by a large section of the crowd.