SCENE AT LECTURE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23058, 8 June 1938, Page 13

SCENE AT LECTURE

VON LUCKNER HOOTED SYDNEY TOWN HALL HOSTILITY FROM GALLERY INTERRUPTERS EJECTED By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received June 7, 9 p.m.) SYDNEY, June 7 £ Hostile demonstrators in the gallery of the Sydney Town Hall last evening bombarded Count von 1 Luckner, when he appeared to 1 lecture to them, with hoots and * shouts of: "Fascist spy," "Down with Hitler," and "Murderer." i Ragged telephone books "were 1 hurled on to the stage. After nearly 30 men and women 6 had been removed by the police, the r lecture was delivered in comparative 1 peace. s As a result Of the demonstration it i is announced that Count von Luckner i will give no more lectures in Sydney. The tattered telephone books thrown j on to the stage were no doubt i prompted by Count von Luckner winning a bet of £5 from a Sydney business man who visited the yacht, and wagered the Count that he could not tear the city telephone directory, of 550 pages, into four pieces. The Count accomplished this feat, and said the £5 would be donated to the Blind Diggers' Fund.. in spite of the noisy reception the Count received in the Town Hall he maintains his jovial mood on board his yacht. "I know my Australians," he said to-day. "Poof! 1 take, no notice of them. I did not come here to talk politics. They, not I, talked politics." The proposed Melbourne lectures have also been cancelled. The Lord Mayor of Sydney, Alderman Nock, stated on June 2 that there was no reason why the Town Hall should not be made available for lectures by Count von Luckner. From inquiries he had made, he understood that the lectures would not be of a political character. The booking of the Town Hall was made on behalf of Famous Artists and Production Agency for the evenings of June 6 and 7 and the afternoon and evening of June 13 for lectures bv Count von Luckner on "The Sea Devil." Alderman Donald Grant said he would make no comment on the letting of the Town Hall. He considered Count von Luckner's presence in Australia was a matter purely for the Federal authorities. "I have listened to a broadcast address by Count von Luckner," said ■ Alderman Grant, "and I find it hard to believe that he is as simple and innocent as he would like his listeners and the Australian people to assume. "To rnv mind Count von Luckner is not one 'of Mark Twain's 'lnnocents Abroad.' Rather might he be compared to 'Farmer Giles,' made famous in song years ago, who exploited his seeming innocence to some purpose . when he went up from Yorkshire to ! visit London. Count von Luckner posed i as an innocent Norwegian during the ' war and so deceived British admirals • and captains." „ , _ I At a council meeting of the Royal - Society of St. George in Sydney the * following resolution was carried: —•_ f "Tn view of the sustained anxiety in Europe and the necessity that, at this- time, Australia, as part of the British Commonwealth of Nations, should encourage its citizens to act in no way which may tend to disequilibrium of loyalty or confidence, this council protests against the hiring of the Sydney Town Hall for the purpose of a Jecture by Count von Luckner, believing that such lecture would not prove helpful to the community or implement its desire for a continuance ,of 1 efforts by our national leaders to ensure s the peace of our Empire."