A ROWDY MEETING.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14916, 14 March 1914, Page 12

A ROWDY MEETING.

THE HON. MR FISHEE

REFUSED A HEARING.

DISGRACEFUL TACTICS

(SVKCIAL TO •THE VBKSS.")

WELLINGTON, starch 13. Cheering and hooting and general disorder, with intenso excitement and indescribable confusion all tho while, mado it impossible for the Hon. F. M_ B Fisher to address tho electors of Wellington Central in St. Peter's Schoolroom to-night. Long before 8 o'clock the hall, which would ordinarily ►eat, about 3-50 people, was crowded. but when the meeting opened there must have been 000 people in the building. It was tho first public meeting to be addressed in Wellington by a member of the Masr-ey Government, or indeed by any member of Parliament, *:ne>> the strike, and it wns generally taken for granted that the meetin/ would be lively. The Federationists and otlu-i- opponents of the Government got there early, and they were very sun? that they had such a majority thnt they could control the meeting. They succeeded in spoiling the meeting, but before it was over the other people present, who must have in the end outnumbered them by two to one, gave them a littlo of "their

own sauce." Mr Fisher's appearance in the body of the hall on his way to the platform was the signal for an outburst of cheering and hooting. Tho cheering was loudest, but the hooting was the longest sustained. Mr Fisher's supporters had not vol become enthusiastic.

When he tried to speak the hooting and shouts and cries like sheep bleating, with a bound accompaniment ot chpcrs all the while, prevented his going on. All this Mr-Fisher met with an imperturbable smile. Some very deep-throated Red Feds, surrounding Mr H. E. Holland, Mr P. 11. Hickey, "Comrade" Dowdall, nnd a few other "celebrities," had beon making a noise persistently, and Mr Fisher said:—"l am quite prepared to let those rontlemen who are making a demonstration put up anybody they like on tho platform against mc."

The challenge was accepted in half-a-dozen places, and Mr Holland was nominated as the antagonist. After a short conference with Mr Fisher. Mr Holland came forward and announced that it had been agreed between himsp]f and Mr Fisher that Mr Fisher should speak for an hour and that then he was to speak. He asked the Social Democrats to give Mr Fisher a hearing. .Mr Fisher did not get a hearing. He stood up and faced gibes and hoots and deafening uproar for nearly an hour. What he did say was in defiance of the noisy demonstrators, but he could not possibly have shouted down from 100 f~"200 men, and he made wav for Mr Holland.

Then Mr Fisher's friends had their innings. Mr Holland was greeted with groans, continued stamping of f°o*-,, with cries often repeated of "We wairj; Fisher." Mr Holland did not utter one syllable of his speech to the crowd; they would have none of him. Tlie Federationists were furiously angry, hut amid* the indescribable noroar and confusion they were probably discerning enough to *see that -'they could not do just as they liked with that meeting. There were some six policemen present, and while Mr Fisher was speaking thrwo or four men "were oioi-teu for misconduct. While Mr Holland svood silent on the platform for upwards of half an hour, there were ocrasicna! outbursts of cheering for Mr Fisher. These became more and more histy and more frequent. Presently there was a better organised cheer than usual, and then, at 9.45 p.m., thoughts in the centre of the hall were switched on\ leavisij; the wall lights onlyv The hall was not left in darkness, but the crowd accepted this as tho signal to break up the meeting. No resolution of any kind was .put. Mr Holland stood on the platform waitins; to speak, but as his presence there was causing disorder, a sergeant of police spoke to him and bereft, though not without some protests.

(PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) WELLINGTON. March 13. The Hon. F. M, B. Fisher held a meeting in St. Peter's Hall to-night. The building tyks packed with a crowd which, on the Minister's appearance, broke into disorder, and would not allow him to speak. j Mr Fisher then suggested that the meeting should nominate a speaker to debate the Reform, policy with him. Mr Holland's name was called loudly, and ho mounted the platform. A sec- ; tion of the audience then howled Mr Holland down, and after he had tried for some time to get a hearing, the polico removed him. Meantime the police had toen busy in the body of the hall ejecting disturbers. A window was broken and : )»me of the hall furniture was roughly '*, handled. The meeting broke up in disorder - without any address being delivered. \ Many women were among the audience and joined at times in the general tlamour.