THE PONSONBY EPISODE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 158, 10 December 1914, Page 4

THE PONSONBY EPISODE.

To the Editor. Sir,—lt is amusing to read the efforts ' 1 ■ of the Tory party making a mountain out of a molehill with reference to the 7 Ponsonby episode. When the icarefully edited, no doubt, before being telegraphed through by the reporter of a Tory paper, are examined, it is alleged ' that a motor-car tyre was cut. Now, no ' ordinary pocket-knife will cut a motor r tyre. / Again, 'the hall was-smoked out through a lubricator being removed from an engine. It is implied that the lubtW - cator was removed during' the progress of the meeting. Any engineer knows ' that it "will take hours, even days, for„ a bearing to become heated through the failure or absence of the lubricator—certainly not in one hour or two. The' "Reform" candidate must be a truly re markable man. He takes his wife ani two daughters, .one of whom is in poor, health, to a meeting he knows will bo disorderly. When the disorder takes ' place he takes his wife and one daughi cr out of the crowd, but leaves the aft* ing one to fend for herself—a very 16" markable proceeding. An ordinary "fq would have looked out for the sick girl, but Mr. Bradne'y is evidently not an pft dtnary man. That there was disorder Uti one doubts, but a party that is capable of producing such a thing as the famous "James Circular,* a party that can at* tempt such a bargain as exposed in the Eden affair, a party who could invade the privacy of Sir Joseph Ward's house, as these Reformers and lights of society did some three years ago, are quite capable of bribing some blackguards to' do the things—if, indeed, they were done as alleged—in the hope of gaining the sympathy of some who are easily led by cunning wiles.—l am, etc., VERITAB.

r ■■ . To the Editor. ' r Sir,—As a Liberal, and a firm believer ■ in fair play to all parties and persons, ■• no matter what their political views or • opinions may be, and whilst I regret very ■ much the disgraceful scenes which ocJ curred at Mr. Massey's meeting in Auck- . land recently, I say is it any wonder ■ that such scenes occur? What surprises i me most is that we did not have similar , scenes of this rowdyism in other places, , when a man who styles himself Premier of New Zealand has been careering around the country, endeavoring to the utmost of his ability to stir up strife and hatred amongst the farmers and workers, on the one hand, the townspeople and the country people on the other What better fate, I ask, could a man of this type expect other than to be howled down by the people? I myself always held the opinion that Mr. Massey was a gentleman, though certainly not a' politician. But now I regret to say that he is not even a gentleman, for no man , with the slightest spark of gentlemanliness in him, and holding the position which Mr. Massey holds, would go about the country stirring up strife and hatred amongst the classes, as the Premier did at Hawcra and elsewhere. The position which Mr. Massey holds as Premier of this country ought to be respected, by , the people, but how can we expect' the people to respect that position when the individual who occupies that exalted position has evidently no respect for himself or the office which ho holds t Mr Massey and some, if not all, of his colleagues during this election campaign have, by their actions, lowered themselves to the level of the street loafer arid waster, Ko doubt Reform will endeavor to make political capita! out of this Ponsonby affair, but the time at their disposal is now, thank God. very limited, as after to-day Mr. -Massey, / the mischief-maker, and his unprogressive party, will be in their well-deserved place, namely, in the cool shades of the' Opposition, there to ponder over their past sins and evil-doings. I hope we shall see that great progressive Liberal banner flying gloriously and victoriously once more over our Dominion, never more to be hauled down by a partv who have always stood in the way of pro* gross and prosperity, a party whose ideas and actions are as slow and unprogressive as were the old Tory party which we had in power a few years ago. —I am, etc., LIBERAL. Lepperton, December 9,1014,