A LIVELY MEETING

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 298, 28 September 1938, Page 6

A LIVELY MEETING

HON. R. SEMPLE HECKLED. SOME OF AUDIENCE LEAVE HALL INCIDENT AT TAT TAPU. (Per Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Organised heckling by a party from Christchurch enlivened a meeting addressed by the Hon. R. Semple at Tai Tapu last night and culminated in one of the most persistent hecklers leaving the hall behind a constable. A small minority in the audience of 400 or more persistently heckled the Minister during the latter part of his two hours’ address, but Mr Semple was more than equal to their attempts to embarrass him. After the interjector had followed the constable out of the hall about 20’ persons rose ancl left. Mr Semple castigated Mr Coates for aggravating distress in New Zealand during the depression, and asked if the audience could find any redeeming feature in his policy. “Tell us about some of the good he did,” said an interjector. “You don’t bluff me,” said Mr Semple; “you can’t come to my meeting and make a scene and get off scot free.” A section of the audience then shouted that the Minister ought to apologise to the interjector. A bigger section, said the interjector should apologise to the Minister. Uproar existed for a minute or two.

Mr E. Edridge asked the Minister what was the Labour Government’s intention toward the country quota. Mr Semple: Labour is not worrying about the country quota. The original interjector rose and shouted something, which was lost in the din of shouting, “booes” and applause, which blotted out the end of Mr Edridge’s argument with the Minister. A constable who had been standing at the back of the hall advanced down the aisle and waved, a warning hand at the interjector, who promptly rose. When lie reached the aisle he turned to the Minister, raised his hand in the Fascist salute, and followed the constable out of the hall. Loud applause greeted his departure. The Minister said lie had so far addressed 67 meetings in various parts of New Zealand but had. never until that night had an unfriendly word said against him. “They can’t come to my meetings and make a scene without ’ getting it in the neck,’ ” he added.