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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 11, Issue 3 (June 1, 1936)

The Mangere Farmer

The Mangere Farmer.

In 1882, being now in a comfortably prosperous way, he married a Mangere girl, Miss Christina Allen Paul. Now he began to interest himself in public affairs. By 1890 he was first president of the Mangere Farmers’ Club; and he was the first president also of the Auckland Provincial Agricultural Association, which developed into a strong and very useful show organisation.

In politics Mr. Massey, belonging to an individualist school of thought, became a leader in the Auckland branch of the National Association, a conservative body which was stoutly opposed to the newly-born Liberal spirit. Franklin was his electoral district, and the seat was hotly contested for many years by two veterans of the Maori Wars, Major Ebenezer Hamlin, a big and burly Waiuku settler, and Major Benjamin Harris, of Pukekohe. Well I remember those farmer-politicians, who detested each other heartily, for I had on several occasions to report their speeches. Presently it fell to my duty in the course of newspaper work to report Mr. Massey himself. He stood against Major Harris for Franklin in 1893— Major Hamlin having retired—and was defeated.