WESTPORT NOTES.

Grey River Argus, 14 October 1922, Page 7

WESTPORT NOTES.

(Our Own Correspondent

EX-WESTPORTIAN WINS A CHAMPIONSHIP.

Mr Claude Moss, son of the late Mr V. R. Moss, at one time Manager xor the of New Zealand ar West port, was a competitor in the recent Wellington competitions, and won the vocal championship for gentlemen, se-

curing first place in English, Irish and Scotch, songs and baritone solo. Claude who was formerly in the Bank service at Christchurch, is now an auctioneer in the “Empire City.” Dr. Truby King’s expected visit to Westport has been postponed. At present he is visiting Australia. Mr George Aitken (Rhodes Scholar for New Zealand commenced studies at Oxford University on Thursday last. The nurses of the Buller District Hospital are having their bathing shed on the North Beach altered and enlarged into a sea-side whare. The recent decision of the powers that be to convert the present foreshore from a leasehold property is going to give a big stimulus to hut building on the most popular of our town beaches. Air R. Patterson (member of the Nelson Land Board) and a man who a great deal of experience on local governing bodies, has been pitted against Mr R. P. Hudson M.P., for Mctueka. He is standing in the Liberal-Labor interests. There is no doubt as to the aspirant’s capabilities, but no one can gainsay the fact that there’s a hard row to hoe for the man seeking to win Mot ueka. St. John’s Tennis Club which was to have opened on Thursday afternoon, had to postpone on account of unfavourable weather conditions. At the time of writing indications are not too good either for the 'Westport Club’s official opening which is due to take place on the Lroigham Street Courts this afternoon. When the Auckland express arrived in Wellington the other day, lhe waitingcrowd were amazed to see “Pussyfoot” Johnson and the Rev. Wyndham Heathcorc stepping our of the same compartment. Changeable weather must have ’'revailed on that car journey, hut wheiher if will remain wet or be dry—that, is the cpicstion! Prior to the last, quarterly licensing nioeling. Air Robert Good, Health Inspector, irnaUe Io pay a visit to Some of the licensing premises in the country, owing to pressure of work in the town area. It is anticipated one more visit will be paid in respect to licensing requisitions before the election ta?<cs p w ace. WESTPORT COURT NEWS. DISTURBING A MEETING. At the Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday morning, Patrick Anthony Carmini', Jerimiah Joseph Curtayne, Peter AFcKinlay, Catherine Ryan ami James Mellerron were charged by the police with disturbing a Prohibition meeting where tin 1 speakers were Either Zurcher, Dr O'Brien ami Mr Chas. Todd. Senior-Sergeant Ryan conducted the prosecution and Mr J. J. Molony a])pcared for the defence. Senior-Sergeant Ryan said the case was brought forward just to warn people that disturbing a public meeting was a bro: ch of the Police Offences Act. The police were expected to keep order at public meetings. When disturbances were scattered all over the hall, it was a hard thing to detect who were the hecklers. One generally encouraged others to follow suit. Carmini' was picked by the police, as a ring-leader at this particular meeting. Constable Adams said he attended the lecture in the Theatre Royal. It was a public meeting, and a collection was taken up. Dr O'Brien ami Father Zurcher were the* speakers. Curtayne walked onto the stage when the speakers appeared and sat on a chair behind them. Dr O’Brien spoke to him at some length and he afterwards took a seat on the floor of the hall, in the front of the stage. Interjections were commenced by Carmine in the body of the hall. ile interjected when Mr I'odd and Dr O’Brien were speaking. His interjections were followed by Airs Ryan at the rear of the hall. There was another interjector at the other side of the hall. They were appealed to by Dr O’Brien to discontinue, otherwise he would have to call on the police to put them out. He warned McKinlay that he would be put out if lie continued. McKinlay said: “That will do me!” Constable Nesbit went over and spoke to Airs Ryan. Mellerron also was an interjector. When ques-

tion time came Curtayne and Airs Ryan were the only interjectors to ask I a question. The interjectors disturb-’ oil the meeting, chiefly Airs Ryan, Ale- | Kinlav, and Mellerron. Curtayne j made a harangue at the close of the I meeting. The remarks were hostile,' but chiefly of a silly nature. He did , not know that they were, insulting. \ To Afr Afolony (solicitor for defendants): Carmine interrupted the meeting by chipping in. lie did not note | down any of the interjections, but they j created amusement. He did not see! Curtayne shake hands with Dr O’- I Brien. Carmine interjected two or | three times. Pressed for something I definite in regard to the interjections I made, Constable Adams said something about putting ice on his (Dr O’Brien’s) | head! Carmine asked: “Where did • you get your facts, from the P.P.A.?” Carmine started the disturbance, and people half-drunk followed. The meeting was a quiet one compared with others that he had attended elsewhere , in the Dominion. Mrs Ryan’s remarks could not be detected. They were . of a silly nature, but her continual interjections disturbed the meeting. Dr O’Brien had to ask her to be quiet.’ McKinlay was continually interrupting 1 Dr O’Brien and Father Zurcher. The. chairman did not have to call order.! Mellerron called out more than once; . “Give the old priest a chance! ” Dr | O’Brien was speaking : t the time. The Mayor occupied the chair. The inter- I jectors did not stop when asked by Dr i O’Brien. I Constable Nesbit said he was stand- |

ing in the right passage way on the. night of the lecture. Mellerron called out when Dr O'Brien was speaking, “Sit down, and give the old priest a chance!” He approached Mellerron and told him to stop. Mellerron said. “There’s some one over the other side interjecting— go and put him out!” lie went over and saw it was Airs Rvan. Shu left the building at one stage of the proceedings, but returned again. She continued interrupting after he bad cautioned her. Curtayne appeared to be giving more of a speech

than an interjection. He could not. say that Curtayne was actually interrupting the meeting. He saw Curtayne come from behind the stage screen ami

take a scat at the back of Dr O’Brien. He saw one of the lecturers speak for a few seconds to Curtayne, who afterwards left the stage. Curtayne’s speech caused laughter. Curtayne asked: “Why was America so long coming into the war?” He went round to Airs Ryan and told her to stop or he would'put her out. She replied: “You try it on!” He told her if she did it again, he would. Later she. left the hall, but returned. Mellerron called out more than once. The Alagistrate said there was no case to answer against Carmine and Curtayne. Carmine may have influenced' the others, but so far there was no evidence to prove it. Inturjevtions were allowed to a certain limit in Parliament and also .at public meet ings. Curtayne’s going up onto the stage did not disturb the meet mg, bu.-ause when he did so, the meeting had not actually commenced. Mr Alolony contended that no oflvncc had been made out against the others concerned. At meetings a certain amount of interjection was pcrmissable. H was not an occasion of a prayer meeting, but something totally difl’ereilp In a public meeting, interjections ::s a rule helped. Speakers Otten courted into'ijuctions to make their meetings a success. Speakers on Iro hibition were not of the liypvr-sensi-tive type. It was a subject that, as a rule, provoked interjections. Any conduct that didn't go any further than an interjection was not an offence, and even though an appeal to the police was made in one instance, it did not necessarily follow that the meeting or the speakers were disturbed. The chairman—Mayor Menzies —had no occasion to intervene on account of any disturbance. The police evidence pointed to mere interjections and not disturbances. Mayor Menzies, on oath, said he presided at Hie Prohibition me.dir.g. 'Die iter ject ions, he thought, did not amount to a disturbance. Dr () Brien had said to a woman if she didn't stop, he would have to ask tin* police to re move her. He s: w a constable v.aik round to her and later she went out. He did not hear any more interject '.omfrom her. At one stage of th. 1 meeting, he held his hand up to Curtayne. Then the latter refrained. He could not hear what was going on at the rear of tie 1 hall. He heard nothing of an offensive nature. lie did not think anyone ; n tin 1 : uilience suffered ineonvenier.c from the interjections. He would say, if asked, that it was an orderly meet ing'. To Sergeant of Police: He heard Dr O'Brien call upon the police to put one interjector out if he persisted in interrupting. If ho were speaking, he (.lid not think he would have been caused much inconvenience. Patrick Anthony Carmine, on oath, said it was an orderly meeting. There were interjections, but hi' did not think they disturbed the speakers. 'l'lie interjections were treated jocularly. lb’ thought the interjections created :■ refreshing atmosphere for a rather “dry” subject. Tile Magistrate: “A ‘wet’ subjeD, w lh ‘dry’ possibilities.” (Laughter . Witness did not think anyone heard Mrs Ryan’s interjections, exci'pt those sitting near her. He heard Dr O'Brien ask her to come forward, so that he could catch her questions. He hear 1 someone say to Dr O’Brien that he was a ‘ ‘ half-pie ’ ’ 1 rishma n. To Sergeant of Police: The meeting was not particularly merry. Tie did not go to lhe theatre with the intention of warming up the meeting. James Mellerron, on oath, said he interjected once at the meeting. Th;' words he used were: “How about giv ing the old priest a chance?” It caused no disturbance. He did not speak ; fter that. The constable was telling a lie, when he said he did. 'I'O the Magistrate: His object in calling out: “How about giving lhe o'<! priest a chance,” was to get. Dr O’-P-rien to be as brief as possible, so that hi* could hear Bather Zurcher. The Magistrate: “ Would it not have been more respectful if you had ad dressed t’ne priest :s Father Zurcher?’’ Mellerron said he did not think so. lie always spoke of an elderly priest in Westport as the “old jiriest.” He did not think he was out of order in doing so. McKinlay, on oath, said that lie only made two interjections. He had heard more interjections in five minutes in the Old Country than for the whole night here. The meeting was not a disorder ly one. He was present at the meeting but did not make any disturbance. When Dr O’Brien said, “Some people take whisky neat; some take it with soda,’’ he called out: “You must have tasted it!” When Dr O'Brien said hu was a New Zealander, he called out: “A ‘half-pie’ Irishman!’' To Sergeant of I’oliee: He was not a convert to Prohibit ion. He had had two drinks that night. He was not opposed to the speakers. He did not go to the meeting for the purpose of 1 making it merry. This closed the case. On the following morning Magistrate Maunsell gave the following reserved decision: — Defendants are charged under section , 3 of the Police Offences Act with disturbing a public meeting, convened for the purpose of being addressed by three advocates of the prohibition cause. The i evidence for the prosecution is that the defendants kept interjecting and wer--ultimately appealed to by one speaker to refrain and were threatened with ejection by the police. Constable Adams then warned McKinlay, who, howexer, made some further interjections. ConI stable Nesbit also warned Mellerron | who stopped for a few minutes, but !1; ter made further interjections. He also spoke to Ryan threatening to ex- | pel her. She then left the building, ' but returned later and made a few more interjections. Defendants admit making some interjections, but deny i that they were continuous or disturbed ' the meet ing. i There is no serious doubt in my mind that defendants were antagonistic to the speakers and went there for the purpose of heckling and did heckle i them. The question is whether heckling | is “disturbing a meeting” within the ineuning of the Act. In my opinion, a heckler does not necessarily disturb I a meeting. 'l’here are some experienced > and able speakers who frequently scor<‘ ' over hecklers and accordingly make a j better impression on the. audience than they would do otherwise. Before heel-: i ling is an offence it must either hinder i the audience from hearing the speaker, I or hinder the speaker from expounding ; his views to the audience. There is I some evidence that tin* speakers were I being embarrassed or hindered, in that ' one appealed to them to be quiet and made a threat of expulsion by the police. Apparently, however, it wri merely a warning not to overstep the : mark. The threat was not repeated -. nor was it put into execution, and [ do ; not think it is sufficient evidence of i disturbance to justify conviction, in view of the very definite evidence of the Alayor, who was presiding. He said it was an orderly meeting, and hu had only to intervene once, and that was not in the case of any of these defend ants. Apparently none of the speakert

appealed to the Mayor, nor was :ny appeal made to the. police to expel :i in,' - one, nor was anyone expelled. Mayor's evidence'is that it was an orderly meeting. 'The control of a meeting rests with the Chairman, ami I must attach great weight, to Jus evidence. In fact, if hu had given evidence that Hie speakers were embaras-. sed or hindered by the interruptions of the defendants I would have convictcl them and inflicted a heavy penalty. His evidence, however, is definitely to the contrary, and as the case for the police is unsupported by any of the speakers or the. audience, I must dismiss the informations. Senior-Sergeant Ryan conducted the prosecutions and Mr J. J. Alolony appeared for defendants.