DISAPPROVAL OF HECKLING

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26510, 27 August 1951, Page 6

DISAPPROVAL OF HECKLING

JUNIOR LABOUR PARTY’S VIEW Disapproval of the actions of those who have interrupted meetings held by the Minister of Labour (Mr W. Sullivan) was expressed by Mr S. A. Goston, president of the Canterbury Junior Area Committee of the Labour Party, at a public meeting held in the Civic Theatre yesterday afternoon under the auspices of the Junior Area Committee. “I am not altogether in favour of that sort of thing,” said Mr Goston. “I think a man should be able to stand up and give his views without being continually heckled. I would like to say that the Labour Party has not been responsible for the heckling at these meetings. Those persons who have heckled Mr Sullivan are not members of the Labour Party, though I will not say that they will not vote for Labour.”

Mr Goston said that the Junior Labour Party in Christchurch had a much cleaner sheet in respect of heckling at political meetings than the Junior National Party. He said that Mr Fraser had been continuously heckled by members of the Junior National Party when he spoke in Christchurch on the eve of the last election, but members of the Junior Labour Party had done nothing of this sort of thing to Mr Holland. Other speakers were Mr J. Mathison, Labour candidate for Avon, and Mr G. L. Muir, Canterbury area officer of the Junior Labour Party. It was announced that Mr A. McLagan, Labour candidate for Riccarton, who was scheduled to speak, would not be present on account of illness. It wag stated that Mr McLagan had not completely recovered from an indisposition when he undertook a strenuous election campaign, but it was hoped that he would be able to resume his campaign this week.