CANDIDATES' FINAL ADDRESSES

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 109, 4 November 1925, Page 9

CANDIDATES' FINAL ADDRESSES

A LIVELY MEETING

AND A REGRETTABLE INCIDENT

MR. SIBVWRIGHT AT NEWTOWN

The Star Theatre at Newtown was packed for Mr. A. B. Sievwright's meeting last night, the back of the hall being filled by a large and wellcrganised Labour squadron, who interfered little with the orderliness of the meeting until the police entered to remove an intcrjeetor, who refused to sit down, and tried to take the floor. Then the Labour faction left the hall in a body, and repeatpclly cheered the interjector outside. Few of them re-entered, but they remained outside the door, and the candidate was finally escorted to his car .ty the police. Mr. G. W. Slade presided. Early in the evening the persistent "Heah, heah!" of an interjector, delivered with weary sa^. >, at the close of the most telling of the speaker's periods, elicited the" retort, "I would take something for that," and later Mr. .Sievwright likened the - monotonous intonations to the voice of a donkey at the Zoo. Taxation, he said, should be put upon the shoulders best able to bear it. The interjector: "Stick it. On the donkey. 7' .'-■■:■ Mr. Sievwright: "He is carrying it now." ' Mr. Siovwright twitted the Labour Party /with evc-ising'the defence policy ;of the Government without replacing it, and said that; with its policy of the union of the workers of all cpuutrics, it meant, that they would unite with Chinese coolies politically. Without a defence policy how "could they keep them out? (Applause.) , Dealing with the.industrial .wastefulness of strikes and lock-outs, Mr. bieywright said: "You know what happened in Australia. We. are having Woodshed in Australia. If bloodshed had taken place here when the leaders of the Labour Party stood by with folded : arms, they would have .'beenV .to' :blaine. I- ask my opponent 'why\he did not ask them to take a hand." V ' ■' "'■ ' '" ■ A voice:';" Why: did not. Coates do it?■'':'...: ■■'■■" ■• ' ■.'■■ ■■•::-:V-. .. . " : Here a babel of interjections and counter applause for .the speaker lasted some, time, . ending in . pandemonium. ' "Before the strike," continued, Mr. Sievwright, ''the average wage of a man on the wharf; was iti 3s a week; Hince that it has become £1 19s lid a week." (More uproar.) Mr. Sievwright continued- an address much upon the lines of previous speeches, freely making direct accusations of Labour's. policy, and was advocating free medical and surgical treatment for those whose claims came before the Arbitration Court, when someone interjected: "Why did not your party support Mr. Holland's amendment for it?" Mr. Sievweight:. "I do riot know I (hat my party refused"" to, do so.", The interjector: "You do not know what your party voted for." Another (sarcastically): "He docs not know what'his party is." A voice: "They voted against., it at the last election." Mr.- Sievwright': "Mr. Swindell, you are one man whose word I caniiot accept on any point to-day.'' Mr. Sievwright was proceeding to explain, in auswer. to another inter-" jector, that the money for accident and sickness insurance could be obtained without additional expenditure under the National Party's .advocated policy, when Mr. Swindell again' tried tc. make himself heard, but was drowned by the objections of the candidate's supporters, who outnumbered the' "boos" of Mr. Swindell's sympathisers. •.■'■'."">

Silence being restored. temporarily, Mr. Sicywright said: "I rnustr ask you to leave, Mr. Swindell: You arc behaving in. the way you have--done at air my meetings.!' Mr. Swindell: "That's incorrect. T must ask'you to take that back." (Insistent voices: "Sit down.") Amidst a chorus of "boos" ths chairman rose. . Sir. Swindell: "Mr. Chairman—" A neighbour in tho audience (to Mr. Swindell): "Sit down. We do not want to listen to, you:" Mr. Sievwright: "You interrupted me ac St. Thomas's Hall." Mr. Swindell: "That's right." The Chairman: "You apologised." Mr. Swindell: "That's a deliberate lie.'.'. •■ . '■•■'. Tho Chairman: !'lf jou do not want to sit down, get out." : Mr. Swindell: "I am not going to sit down.':..l am an elector of this district, and I claim your indulgence." Tho Chairman: "I will give you Iho option of sitting do\vn or. removing yourself." .. ...

ENTER THE. POLICE.

Here entered a 1 sergeant, and-, upon the appearance of tho police, the whole of the. back portion of the audience, approximating 100 persons, which ha,d been booing with gusto, to counter-applause for the chairman, arose as if at a signal, and wont out, accompanying Mr. Swindell, who was cheered again and again outside by a. large body of Labour supporters, while sustained applause for the chairman continued within for some time. This and scattered "boos" prevented the continuance of the candidate's address for a time. "I regret incidents of this nature," he said. "I am one of those who bolitjve iji- free speech. I ask any one of you who has been to my opponent's meetings if they have been sub jept to any sucjh/interference as 1

ELECTORS WILL DECIDE TO-DAY

have been to-night." (Loud and enthusiastic cries of "No, no!" and vehement "boos.")

The address, with the absence of the bulk of the interjectors, proceeded peacefully to its close.

'"I feel I express the sentiments of the electors!of Wellington South when I regret the unfortunate incident which occurred to-night," said the mover of ' a motion of thanks and. confidence, which was carried with enthusiasm by the .remaining audience. -

Tho Labour supporters remained close round the front door, where further entertainment was provided by an altercation between Mr. Swindell and'a supporter of Mr. Sievwright. The front doors closed without the appearance of Mr. and Mrs. Sievwright, who later were escorted to their car by the police.