LARKIN IN LONDON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15496, 1 January 1914, Page 5

LARKIN IN LONDON.

ALBERT HALL MEETING,

STUDENTS CAUSE A RIOT.

[fsom OVS, OWN COKBES3PONDEKT.] London, November 21. Larson, the leader of the Dublin strikers, addressed a crowded meeting in the Albert Hall the other night, when at one period •of the .proceedings riotous scenes were witnessed. A considerable body of students from South Kensington fought their way into- the hall, and were only ejected by mam force after a severe struggle. Not content with trying to upset the meeting, tha students attacked . the Kensington electricity generating station with a view to extinguishing 'every light, not only in the Albert Hall, but in Kensington generally. The police had to'interfere, and several arrests were, made, • ; '-:'' ~i - _ While one of the speakers was Jaddressrng the meeting, an "entrance-wav- fiecarne* one seething mass - of scuffling . and : Struggling humanity., The cause of "it. all' seemed quite incomprehensible:' to 1 those inside the hall.a Men in scores,:?as 'it seemed, were excitedly pushing their way i down the gangways; other men in •'even' larger numbers, and fighting like demons,' were as excitedly pushing their way up the gangway,, evidently - resolved upon" stemming the tide of some sudden and? resolute invasion. Who the invaders were, or whence they had come, and, mdeedV whether they were invaders at all, nobody seamed to know. But that serious wort was.m hand was quite clear, for walking♦ticks were being freely brandished; and- ; one tall fellow was laying about him with might and main. Every person in the hall hadmeantime risen to his feet, the section, of the arena nearest'to the affray was "in* a perfect ferment, and all over the hall the greatest excitement prevailed. A Furious Fight. iJOOi i&JP thi9 moment-what should happen but that a man should boldly .drop from the gallery into the very thick Of the melae. Not a cry or a groan escaped the men on whose heads he had so mi. ceremoniously descended. They just "went for 1 the individual who had dropped trom the skies as it were, while he on his part, set about him with a will, and having regard for 'the disparity of odds against him, gave as- freely as he <*otMore furious than ever was now the fight and still more intense the excitement actuating the multitude. Indeed, the: situation seemed likely at any moment to' precipitate a serious panic The audience were seething in their, places all over the nail Mr. Laasbury and others on the platform shouted their loudest in the attempt to restore order. They might as well have shouted to the tempest. Music Does Hot Soothe. It was plain that some of those on the platform apprehended that the fracas might take a serious turn, because the organ began to peal,- and, led by the choir and by the leaders on the platform, 1 the audience joined in singing, "The Bed flag! If the intention was to soothe the multitude, it failed to achieve its purpose—at least for th 6 moment. A wave of agitation had swept the hall, and the audience was slow to settle down. Larfein then took the situation in hand, and when the invaders had been beaten back he commanded all the stewards to stand by the doors. Larkin went on to declare that there were enough workingmen in the hall " to beat all the pups that ever attended a university!" Loud cheers i greeted the challenge. Then only did the assemblage realise what had been at the root of all the trouble. A party of 50 students had gained admission to the building, and it was the resolute attempt of the stewards and many willing assistants to expel the intruders which nad provoked tls exciting scenes. Within less than a couple of minutes after he had started his speech Larkin had the meeting I in hand, but from time to time while he I was speaking scouts from the entrances brought more or less sensational reports as ' to the dimensions of the disorder outside, I and a good deal of unrest was observable among the red-ribboned stewards.