A SOCIALIST MEETING

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13646, 1 February 1910, Page 2

A SOCIALIST MEETING

SUDDEN ILLNESS OF A SPEakER

The meeting addressed by Mr H. Scott-Bennett, an Australian Socialist and orator, in the Opera House on Sunday night, came to an unexpected and a somewhat dramatic conclusion, owing to the speaker being taken suddenly ill. The inclemency of the weather was possibly responsible for the fact that there was not a crowded attendance. The stalls -were, however, well-filled. Mr R. J. Ecroyd presided, and in introducing the speaker, he said that Mr Scot-t- Bennett informed him that the moment he touched Australian soil he might be penalised in the same manner as Potor Bowling and his comrades had been. Mr Scott-Bennett had been working for the cause of Socialism both in Parliament and out of it.

Mr .Scot Bennett, who was received with applause, spoke on "Socialism, the Only Hope of the World." He has a fluent and pleasing delivery, and marshalled his facts with good effect. His main line of argument was that as primitive communism -was replaced by chattel slavery, chattel slavery' by feudalism, and feudalism by- the present industrial system, so the present system -would be replaced by the cooperative ownenship of the means of production, distribution and exchange. He had been speaking for a little over half an hour, and was saying: "All that is required at the present time is for human intelligence to be harnessed to these blind forces working in society in order to hasten on the day when the co-operative common—" when he was seen to stagger and sink into his chair, and was unable to finish his sentence. >Some heart trouble appeared to be responsible for the sudden seizure. Water was offered him, but he was unable, to take it. Dr. Millington, recently of Greymouth, who happened to be in the audience, went to the aid of the speaker, and Mr E. Howard (president <*f the Trades and Labour Council) informed the audience that the doctor absolutely prohibited Mr Scott-Bennett continuing his remarks. The curtain was then lowered, and the audience, which was completely taken aback by the suddenness of the occurrence, hlod out. Mr Scott-Ben-nett was , then conveyed to his hotel, having in the meantime recovered slightly. It appears that Mr Scott-Bennett has been engaged in propaganda work in the Dominion, and when ho arrived here on Saturday morning the rough passage had affected him somewhat. He has been, apparently, overtaxing his strength. This and Friday evenings Mr Scott-Bennett will, if sufficiently recovered, give addresses in the Socialist Hall.