There was a very large meeting at the Provincial Hall last night, both the floor and the gallery being crowded there being in the latter a large number of ladies. On the motion of Mr J A. Harley, the chair was taken by Mr Haddow, who briefly introduced the Premier.

The hon. Mr Stout on rising was received with [unclear: loud] and continued cheers. He commended by saying that one of the most noted American writers bad said that when two people met and talked togther there were at least six people present. There were A and B; there were A's A and B's A.; and there were B's A. and A's B. Now he thought that much misunderstanding between policians and colonists, and perhaps between politicians and pressmen might, be avoided by their meeting and talking together occasionally. At the request of several of their citizens he had met them that evening, when he had the opportunity of seeing a Nelson audience, and they of seeing him and looking at the political position from his point of view. As they were aware, he had recently been addressing his constituents, and he had since been much amused by the criticisms his speech had evoked. For the first time he had learned that pressmen were thin-skinned, for he certainly had made them very angry, He was not altogether sorry for this as he thought it might do good, and in future perhaps the journalists who criticised would remember that there were other thin-skinned people besides politicians. Not only did he recognise the power of the press, but he admitted its great influence upon the welfare of a democracy, for without it they could have no pure government. On a late occasion he had pointed out the need of journalists being thoroughly equipped for their profession. That profession was one which should not be looked upon as a commission agency, into which business, it was once said, that the man who had broken down in overemployments, and had no credit, usually catered; but journalism should be entered upon only by those who held the profession in high esteem and were keenly alive to its duties and responsibilities. Had New Zealand always had such journalists they would have had better government in the past and better newspapers. In future he would ask the press to remember that if it criticised politicians, it must expect to be criticised in return. He was not on that occasion going to trench upon party politics, but he wished to carry his hearers with him while he talked on what he considered should be their colonial policy, for he thought they ought to he able to lay down some broad lines on which this should be based.