Disgraceful Scenes

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 156, 8 December 1914, Page 5

Disgraceful Scenes

I PREMIER "SMOKED Oim AT . POXSONBY. RED FEDS. IX EVIDENCE. j A VOL'Xti LADY INJURED. | i'.y 'iVicgniph.—Per Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. There were extraordinary happenings in connection witii Mr. Massey's mcctin,!,* at Ponsonby this evening. Recent events have made tin.' violent partisansliip of thusc interested fairly obvious, but during tlic evening- the, matter was placed beyond all possible doubt. Mr. Masscy left the (irand Hotel in a car belonging to the. hotel, and proceeded to Ponsonby, via College Hill. When the car rounded the corner, and nearcd the theatre, a howling mob was encountered, sir-etching right across the street. The engine Inul stopped, and the car had ajmost come to si standstill, when one of the tyres was slit, apparently by a very sharp knife. The tube in the tyre was also cut/ and both were ruined beyond repair. The value of a new tyre is £l2, and of a tube £3. The hood of the car was damaged, and two of the ribs were broken, hwneuiie seized the mudguard, but did no damage to it. While the meeting was proceeding, t!:c driver got the ear repaired, and secured the services of two policemen to prevent further injuries. The: meeting proceeded fairly placidly for about an hour and a half, -lust before 9.30 p.nL a gentleman walked on to the platform, and had a hurried consultation with Mr. Massey, who turned to the audience and expressed his reerets tin:!, all would have to leave the' hall in about ton minutes. Before the speaker could complete his sentence a number of women rushed madly to the exit, and there were indications of a panic, the audience by the time observing that the room had become very smoky. Mr. Massey pacified the. crowd by explaining that the loss of the lights was the worst that could happen, and that there was not the slightest cause for alarm. Thereupon a motion of con- , fidciiec in him as Prime Minister was I put and carried, and the audience commenced to disperse, which they did hurriedly, owing to the increasing smokiness.

A Herald reporter went to the engineroom with the engineer. It was impossible to.breath in the room, and a hasty retreat was imperative by reason of the smoke. The lubricator connected with the crank of the engine had been taken away, am! the requisite'oil had not been supplied to the works. This led to squeaking, and then came the smoke. Mr. Jl. Smith, lireman, had also detected the smoke, and he made an examination. It was agreed .that the trouble, could not have occurred accidentally, the opinion being that someone had deliberately taken the lubricator away. Mr. North discovered an old one, and placed it in position.

Outside the hall there was a scone ot wild excitement. Several thousand people, obviously of the Foderationist element, crowded round the building, a.tid the police—there were twenty-two of them, nnder Sergeant Bntledgc—had all their work set in keeping them in order. The mounted police had to be called in to clear a passage for Mr. Massey's car, and when he appeared howls of execration were hurled at him, coupled with intense booing. The Prime. Minister was not perturbed in the slightest degree, and took off bis hat and smiled cheerily at his opponents. The mounteds again cleared a way for his exit. Being in an angry mood, the. crowd looked round for new victims.

Mr. J. IT. Bradney, the Government I candidate for Auckland West seat, in whose electorate, the Premier had spoken, pecmed to be chosen by mutual consent to fill the bill, and the crowd made a rush for him. Somebody threw a stone. The police effected a capture, but the muu was eventually released, as there was doubt as to his identity. Mr. Bradncv came out of the hall with Ms wife and his elder daughter on his arms, and essayed to cross the street. There were cheers for Mr. Bradney from his supporters, and a great volume of booing from opponents. The crowd gradually closed in on the candidate. He got aw'ay without injury, but- just as he reached the opposite corner ho heard it said that a young lady had fainted. He returned to'investigate, only to discover that it was his own younger daughter, Mi'-s Beatrice Bradney. The crowd again thre.il.ened Mr. Bradney, and were clearly in an extremely ugly mood. He only escaped injury by waving his stick in a vigorous manner. Mr. Arthur Rosser came up and apologised to him for the actions n[ the crowd. Every attention was given to Miss Bradncv, 'but it was too late to prevent her being trampled upon after she had fainted. Br. Sharman offered his services, and the voiing lady, who is rather delicate at the best of time.*, was carefully conveyed to a room in the Ponsonby Club' Hotel, where all that was possible was done to restore her to consciousness. .After she had rested, her father ordered a motor-car and took her home. Interviewed later in the. eve" in;;. Mr. Bradncv said that his daughter was m a low state. She had worn p. wristlet watch, and this was subsequently picked up on the pavement. It had come off when the crowd trampled upon her, .and had sot broken. "I should like to say," declared 'Mr. Bradney, "that the occurrences wcro most disgraceful to any constituencv, and it shows plainly what a ;.:in:r of hoodlums is trying to put the present Government out of office. At the | seine, time it is part of an organised scheme to break up Government meetiii."R, and carry votes of no-confidence in crdi'r to make the people of the Dominion believe that the 'pnat Liberal party,' of which Sir Joseph "Ward is the leader, is in- the ascendant. I have far teo nineh respect for my constituents to think for a moment that that class of people are the electors of Auckland West. 1 have always been proud of the net tlvit. T have represented one of the most respectable constituencies in New Zealand." i'.ue pen wan seen to strike a constable, but was not apprehended; another, in T- rritorial uniform, was arrested on a charge ■of resisting the police in the execution of their duty. It is alleged that he kicked one, of the mounted constables' horses. The crowd did not break up for a long time, and discussed matters in knots.