"THE BUDGIE."

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 224, 22 September 1938, Page 13

"THE BUDGIE."

MOUNT ALBERT FUN. MR. A. S. RICHARDS HECKLED. LTVELT ROSKIIX. EIECTORS. All was not a garden of roses, politically at King George's Hall, Mount Albert, last night, when Mr. A. S. Richards, Government candidate for Roskill, opened his campaign. The Mayor of Mount Albert, Mr. H. A. Anderson, who was in the chair, was called upon to appeal for order only once, but he wore a worried look for a time before the clamour died down. An apparently spontaneous burst of heckling broke out in the first five minutes of the candidates speech. "This is, I believe, an organised attempt to interrupt the meeting." said Mr. Kichards, who said he had been advised by telephone that such an attempt was being organised. "They are being paid for this," declared several other voices. "The Nationalists pay them a pound a day!" Gradually the noisy rear quietened down, with the exception of a scholarlylooking young man who made several extempore speeches on the sins of the Labour party and. evidently in the best of humour, disregarded advice to "bag his head." "tie a brick around his neck," and "stop dribbling on his bib." "Now. now! Don't be unkind to the little budjrie." said Mr. Richards. "He is the little Nationalist budgie, but somebody will have to put him in m cage if he doesn't keep quiet." The "budgie," not over-pleased with his new title, threw a dark glance around the hall and was heard to ask the candidate what Labour was doing about something (lost in roar* of lauphter from the audience) "that the workers needed." A few minutes later Mr. Richards, who had mislaid a paper, searched hurriedly for it. "Try having a look in the piano." said a friendly voice and the audience laujrhed. So did Mr. Richards. It was shortly afterwards, when Mr. Richards pointed to the increased number of factories in the country, that an ihterjector scored a hit and drew laughter by saying, "And don't forget that Chinese laundries hav-; been included just to swell the figures." But Mr. Richards just smiled and went on. Then the "budgrie" started ajrain and there was a rowdy scene near the door, a score- of voices calling on the serious y:>yng man to resign from life. "Ha! My little National:s. b.-dgie again!'' said the candidate. A clamour of noise from friends and foes alike drew the chairman to his feet to appeal successfully for order. "I want the Press to report this," said Mr. Richards soon after, when there was more interruption. .'Til do all I can to see that my opponent gets an attentive hearing when he speaks in the electorate, but if I don't get the same courtesv these interjections will be the means of causing trouble for their own candidate."

It wm certainly a night out for Roskill people. , *J£|»|