THE BY-ELECTION

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21525, 15 July 1935, Page 12

THE BY-ELECTION

h £ QUIET MEETING INTERRUPTED

MR LYONS AND HIS" "FRENCH FRIEND"

ISPivECH AND COUNTER-SPEECH

AT WOOLSTON

A wildly-acsticulating man of obviously foreign extraction, whose shouted counter-address to the audience could only in part bo understood, provided t'.e only diversion at it political meeting addressed by the National candidate for Lyttelton, Mr •M. E. Lyons, at the WooJston Methodist schoolroom on Saturday evening, Mr Lyons's address, given in the early. evening before his meeting at Heathcole, was brier, ana .ppeared to interest the small audience of 30, for there was not a single interjection for the first 25 minutes. Then a member of the audience, who, subsequent events made clear, •was not a Lyttelton elector, disagreed with some of the- candidate's views on guaranteed prices, arid seemed determined to expound his own opinions to the meeting, if necessary at the top of his voice. He was ruled out of order by the chairman, left the room m indignation, returned to engage in another passage of arms with the candidate, and retired again to be heard of no more until he reappeared suddenly at the close of the meeting! and appeared desirous of carrying on .'rem where he had left oft". During question time he "went the rounds" vainly seeking a member of the electorate wiio would put to the candidate a list of questions which the "'nan-man hud refused to accept, from ban. After th>} meeting had broken up ht? commenced an independent ..ddreK-: to the reporters and such of the audience as remained, He was Jast brarrt in heated argument with tome of the electors at an informal meeting in Ferry road.

Fixation of Prices Mr Lyons had been explaining that the purchase by the British Government during the war of the whole of Mew Zealand':; production, for which the 'aimers received definite prices, was not "on ad fours" with the Labour uarty's plan for .fixing prices. "That was price-nxing," came the 1 irEft interjection of the meeting. MiLyons was elaborating his argument when the interjector reiterated his disagreement in a loud voice, and with much waving of the t arms by way of • •nifirnisis. "We are run by the Old Country,' was one of the few statemtnts which the candidate and the audience could apprehend. "U- fortunately we are largely de-j>cndt-nt on the Old Country for our market* - ," -aid Mr iryons. "If only we '. auid i;:t the British Government to do 'vjiat it did in war-time, our troubles would be over." Ho repeated '"'.at there was no onaiogy between the war-lime arrangement and the Labour pjcj'.jo^ai. "They were fixed prices." was the ■■houted i epiy of the unconvinced iniwjcctor. who commenced to address :.ome of the electors near him. Mr Lyons (raising hi. 5 ; voice): This U a rneetmx of Lyttelton electors, and I must ask— The interjector: It is not. Thru chairman <Mr S. McHar;;) adi :uu-cd to the front of the dais and when he was able to make himself h-.-ard above the commotion that was ;.'9.<i')g on about the interrupter, ruled ''hat unless the man wss an elector of I.yStelton he was out of order in interjecting or asking questions. The other was objsctmg that the advertisement calling the meeting did not confine the audience to Lyttelton -;."teeters, when Mr Lyons broke in"This is my hall and if you are not a Lyttelton elector you have no right to so#ak " "Y(.u know wc are too much for you," was his opponent's! shouted reply, ..'ollowed by a long and unintelligible statement, which members of the audience were unsuccessful,in interrupting.

Excited Interjector "And the No. 7 tram runs frequently," Mr Lyons interpolated when there was eventually a ull in s the .'.term. The time-honoured repartee, appropriate or inappropriate, was indis-t'rt-st. for the excited one. who, waving hat and stick, had appeared on the point of departure, advanced up the centra aisle of the schoolroom and started once again .o the varied ivmiuMfment and annoyance of the audi«.flee. There were cries of"Shin up" and "spsaic English," but after twice retreating to the door the interjector «»ixe more took hi 3 scat, ignoring Mr LyonK'-s admonition to "get out; we've heard you before. It is nr the first time you have interrupted meetings." Although Mr Lyons had to appeal •for sail adjournment of a "committee meeting." the business of which appeared to consist of a subdued exchange ot such remarks as "mind your mvn business" and "you mind yours," comparative peace reigned until queaticsri time.

Then the chairman announced that th« candidate wouid answer questions irom Lyitelton electors, and while the first questioner whs putting his proposition to Mr Lyons the talkative cenUeman was making an extensive canvaw for an elector who would submit his written questions to the candidate. Apparently unsuccessful he (ventualiy retired with a cheerful "Good-night all." and was heard of no more until Mt; Lyons was thanking the audience for attending the meeting. It was encouraging to those who were taking an interest in the counity't welfare to find that there were imiole willing to go out on cold nights to listen to political addresses, said the candidate. "Even our French fri#nu~" Mr Lyons was saying when there was another interruption. Mil "friend" made a dramatic reappearance at the door of me hall and cleared, "I am not a Frenchman, sir, 1 am an Englishman, and proud of it." There followed another outUurst, no more intelligible than its predecessors, which Mr Lyjos acknowledged With a polite "Oui. monsieur." There was a final laugh when Mr Lyon* promised u latecomer, who complained that he had been misled by the advertised time of the meeting on the banner outside the hail, that he would take him in his car to ths Heathcote meeting ana bring him back again, "What about taking me?" enquired the interjector. "There is only one place to which I would take you." was Mr Lyons's reply uwri'd laughter. • Tbß discussion on fixed prices was •till going on in Ferry road when Mr Lyona left for Heathcote, but the dmmOng audience wmly declined th# Invitation of the voluble gentleman to return to the hail to hear his ' v|»w» an political and economic xnattm.

N MB LYONS SPEAKS AT 1 HEATHCOTE

carum amount of interjection from cm amUoo of the audi«nco, Mr M. E. Lyras, Nationalist candidate in the taNtatJon.- WW given.a Slrly attentive bearing at the IJeatn£3» Club HaJl on Saturday evening Jfe mka at "teafth oo the desirability Sf latter «os»«oiii *w the uneroliߧpd and emohMiMd the value of a 'srm ft Mfvett prtsiiW over the which wM attended by abo it fjr*tr«m«. Mr Lyoflg m\S msSImL a J