MEETING HELD BY MR RUSSELL

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26511, 28 August 1951, Page 8

MEETING HELD BY MR RUSSELL

INTERJECTOR ASKED TO LEAVE NEARLY HALF AUDIENCE FOLLOWS About 40 persons—almost half the audience—got up and walked out half way through a political meeting held last evening by Mr D. W. Russell, National Party candidate for Avon, in the Methodist Hall on Estuary road, South Brignton. The waiK-out took place when Mr Russell, who is a member of the executive of the Christchurch Returned Services’ Association and a former president of the association, was discussing deience. The group followed an mterjuctor, who. after oeing warned by a sergeant of police to keep quiet, left the meeting at the sergeant’s request.

Mr Russell continued- to address the 60 to 70 persons remaining. He said after the meeting that he had told them that the group who had walked out were an organised rabble who had gone to the meeting to break it up. They were, he said, the type of people who had caused disturbances at meetings held recently by the Minister of Labour (Mr W. Sullivan) and the Prime Minister (Mr Holland). “They are a fair sample of the sort ot people who are bringing industrial unrest to this country,” he added. At question time after Mr Russell’s address some of those who bad left the hall earlier returned to the meeting. but it was announced that Mr Russed would not answer any questions from those who had not listened to the whole address.

Some other members of the audience left the hall earlier in the meeting after being asked by the police to make less noise.

The meeting was attended by a sergeant of police and a constable.

A vote of thanks was accorded to Mr Russell at the close.