MINISTERS HECKLED

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 226, 22 August 1935, Page 6

MINISTERS HECKLED

NOISY CIVIC RECEPTION. EJECTIONS AT WELLINGTON. (Bv Telegraph.—Special io Standard.) W WELLINGTON, Aug. 22. Supporters of the “No More War ” Movement and relief workers with grievances chose the occasion of \Y ellington’s civic welcome to the Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes) and Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates in tho Town Hall, last night, to make a demonstration and constantly interrupt what is usually a social occasion. Ihe demonstrators must have numbered oyer two hundred, and scores were either ejected or left the hall at the request of the police or ushers during the proceedings. After they had shouted their opinions some were forcibly ejected and a few of the epithets thrown at’the Ministers were offensive, while the most regrettable feature was that the Prime Minister’s reading of His Majesty’s renly to New Zealand s loyal address on the occasion of Ins Jubilee was not allowed to be heard without some scornful comment. There was no suggestion of the coming storms while the Mayor of Wellington (Mr T. O. A. Hislop) spoke of the privilege tho city’s citizens regularly enjoyed of extending a -welcome to New Zealand’s representatives on their return from England. It was, he remarked, an excellent custom and was a personal one apart from politics. When Mr Hislop called on the Prime Minister to speak, a young man in the gallery behind him rose to demand that, before Mr Forbes sjioko a resolution be put to the gathering. He read out a protest against the reported statement by Mr Forbes in that if Britain went to war New Zealand would participate as a matter of course, and a demand that this statement be withdrawn. Immediately the town clerk tried to stop this interruption, but arrived too late. Tho Mayor ignored it, and Mr Forbes rose, the young man protesting that there was a motion before tho meeting. A large number of people in tho body of the hall drowned Mr Forbes’s opening sentences. The Mayor intervened with a strong declaration that there were no politics at this meeting and the audience should give Mr Forbes the ordinary courtesy which was extended to New Zealand’s Prime Minister on such occasions.

PREMIER’S RETORT. Mr Forbes abandoned his conventional opening to deal with the unexpected situation. “I think,” he said, “I have the right to bo judged by what 1 said, not what was put down to me by the newspaper cable. 1 explained the legal position if Britain went to war, as was shown in the statement presented to Parliament before I left, when I pointed out that if Britain was at war the rest of the Empire was at war', and that Parliament would be called together to pass the necessary measures before action could be taken. A garbled account of what I said appeared in tho newspapers here, but I claim to bo judged on what I actually said.” The explanation was greeted with loud hooting and a general interruption, quite twenty people being escorted from the hall before comparative silence was restored.

The Prime Minister, in describing the Jubilee celebrations, found every sentence to bo subject to hostile comment from critics well distributed throughout tho gathering. His enthusiastic reference to the spontaneous demonstrations of loyalty from the people of England toward Their Majesties provoked cheers from tho majority, but a substantial chorus of boohs. The interrupters commenced to walk towards the platform, shouting their uninions, but on reaching the cross aisle policemen usually diverted them to tho nearest exit.

When Mr Forbes read His Majesty’s reply to the Dominion’s loyal address adopted by Parliament he enjoyed complete silence until the final paragraphs, when a woman who shouted: “Wliat about relief workers’ wives and children ?” persisted so Ion" that sho was taken out by the pohoe to the accompaniment of hooting. Dozens of people, including many women, kept the interjections going till the Prime Minister concluded the message with the declaration : “No one will say this is not an inspiring address,” a sentiment received with cheers, groans, and the cry of “Down with Fascism and war.”

Mr Forbes eventually concluded his reply, finding unemployment grievances sandwiched between the comment of anti-war demonstrators who, after hearing a baritone solo about a Maori warrior, suggested when the singer returned for an encore, “sing more war songs for cannon fodder.”

Kir Coates cheerfully endeavoured to meet the situation with laughing thanks to the audience for such a hearty and genuine welcome. He roused the interrupters, who were informed that this made him feel sure he was back in New Zealand. He thought, he said, that the Prime Minister had hardly caught some of tho interjections, which had suggested that he had declared New Zealand would automatically go to war if England was involved. The cabled report of his speech had failed to clearly state that Mr Forbes had said it was, of course, for Parliament—the representatives of the people—to decide and it was their decision. Our democracy left the decision entirely to the people through their elected representatives. It was Parliament which took tho responsibility.

A persistent female interrupter was temporarily silenced by the laughter which followed Mr Coates’s promise that he would deal with her leading point, “Later on, my dear!” She shouted some comment and commenced to walk out, but Mr Coates urged, “Please listen to me.” His references to the splendid loyalty of the people of England roused the audience to a burst of applause which submerged the running comment on unemployment conditions and the eviction of relief workers. “Down with war. Up with Labour,” shouted someone. “Put it just as you like,” retorted Mr Coates. “1 know a little bit about war, and if the honour of this country and its people it at stake I will be one of the first to ask the authorities to take my services. Pointing out that one of the problems which statesmen had to face was to get surplus commodities to the people who were short, Mr Coates added : “None of us can he comfortable in mind, body, or spirit if we have men. women, and children who are short of these things.” “You are comfortable enough,'-’ declared a woman scornfully. “I don’t know,” replied Mr Coates. “1 was 17 stone, but you have worn me down to 13.”

A man in the gallery added to the disturbance by scattering into the hall hundreds of leaflets.

(lie police and ushers were extremely active, but Mr Coates urged them not to trouble, declaring that, after all. it was quite good tempered. He completed iiis speech explaining, however, that some of the notes would have to be handed to the Press, and the gathering promptly ended by the organist playing the National Anthem, which was heartily sung by the majority of lliose present, while a group at the back pointedly walked out.