SOME INTERLUDES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21009, 4 February 1943, Page 2

SOME INTERLUDES

PREMIER’S ADDRESS

“JUST LIKE OLD TIMES”

OPPONENTS CRITICISED

(P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH. Feb. 4. Interjections were numerous in the early stages of an address by the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, at the Civil Theatre last evening. Mr. Fraser took some exception to an interruption which had arisen in a brief speech by Miss Mabel Howard, the Labour Party candidate for Christchurch East, in support of whom Mr. Fraser spoke. Miss Howard was interrupted in her remarks on the war effort by an interjector who asked where her party had been in the last war. Several interjections were raised over union secretaries’ salaries. Shortly after Mr. Fraser started speaking the interjections were renewed. Pausing in his speech, Mr. Fraser said that the Labour Party did not object to intelligent opposition and would not shirk facing it, fighting it, and defeating it, but New Zealand was fighting, along with all the United Nations, for just the holding of such meetings as were being held that night and he deplored the sort of interruptions hurled at a woman candidate such as he had heard a few minutes before and he would assure the people responsible that Labour did not want the votes and would not have .the vdos of peonle who lacked chivalry and attacked a woman because she «roe out to strive for the cause >ne believed in.

“And there will be many cades for interruptions before this meeting is over,” said Mr. Fraser, when fresh voices were raised from a section of the audience. Referring to the number ci candidates at the by-election, Mr. Fraser mentioned Mr. Herring.

Voices: Horray! Hooray! “Mr. Lee’s Batsman”

Mr. Fraser: Yes, I think you should get the cheers over now before 1 am finished with him. He is Mr. Lee's batman. A voice: Three cheers .for Jack Lee. The Mavor. Mr. E. H. Andrews, who presided, rose to speak when the interjections started.

"Don’t worry, Mr. Chairman,” Mr. Fraser said, “it’s like old times. We are enjoying it.” Mr. Fraser said that Mr. Herring came out as a supporter of the war effort. Where was Mr. Herring— Voices: In the last war? (Laughter).

Mr. Fraser said that Mr. Herring on January 19, 1940, attended a meeting to draw together for common action all bodies and individuals opposing New Zealand's participation in the war. Mr. Fraser went on to refer to Mr. Lvons. the National Party candidate.

Voices: Give us your policy. Mr. Fraser then spoke for more than an hour with little interruption, but immediately he had finished the National Anthem was played by mistake. Some persons had already started to leave as the chairman announced that the anthem had not been played when it should have been. A query about questions to the candidate again arose as he caled on Mr. Mr. H. McCaw, who proposed the motions of thanks and confidence in the Labour Government and Labour candidate. When the motion was nut to the meeting there were some loud “No’s.” and Mr. Fraser, with a smile, .called for a show of hands, only about 20 in the audience of several hundreds signifying disagreement with the motions.