Mr Pirani at Napier.

Feilding Star, Volume XXI, Issue 129, 30 November 1899, Page 2

Mr Pirani at Napier.

AN EXCEEDINGLY ROWDY MEETINGr. THE SPEAKER PELTED WITH „ ROTTEN EGGS. POLICE JREFUSE TO INTERFERE. MR PIRANI UNDAUNTED. HE- GETS IN HIS SPEECH. Telegraph. Press Association. Copyright , Napiee, November 29. The most rowdy meeting ever held in Napier occurred to-night, when Mr Pirani endeavored to address a meeting on political matters and met with a most hostile reception, a large and compact body at the back _of the hall evidently being determined he should not get a hearing. There was a pandemonium of noise, punctured with rotten eggs thrown at the speaker. Sergeant Mitchell was present and the chairman appealed to him to keep order, but he refused to interfere, saying he could only, arrest anyone pointed out by the chairman. Mr Logan, solicitor, called for volunteers, and a number of citizens responded, and went to the back to restore order, but uoavailingly. Mr Pirani caught sight of one prominent barracker in thefront rows, and jumping from the platform seized him and ejected him from the Theatre. Again the chair appealed to the police, but met with the same answer. Mr Logan then gave the names of two men who were put out. Affier nearly two hours' vain attempt to get a hearing, -he succeeded in wearying out the rowdy element, and at 11 o'clock was getting in his speech with comparatively little interruption.