WHAT HAPPENED AT A MEETING.

NZ Truth, Issue 327, 30 September 1911, Page 7

WHAT HAPPENED AT A MEETING.

A MEMBER HECKLED

And an Interjector Removed.

11 We Want the Truth— State Facts not Fancies."

[From "Truth's" Auckland Rep.]

Notwithstanding the presence ol three policemen m uniform at a Nolicense meeting m St. James' Hall, Auckland, on Monday night, this failed to ensure a good hearing f,or A. S. Malcolm, M.P., the membei for Olutha, who gave an address entitled "The truth about Clutha." At one time the proceedings became so disorderly that the chairman, the Rev. J. Cocker, called upon the police to eject a man after several warnings. This incident called for CUBKS AND. CHEERS Df a section of the audience, but the interjections did not cease, and the speaker's voice was frequently drowned m crios for order and ironical cheers, .. . . v Mr Malcolm" stated he had lived m Gkitha electorate for 23 years and he claimed he . knew as much- about it as any man m the district. The people of Clutha decided that it was necessary to abolish liqu,or 17 years ago. Friends of- the trade predicted disaster as a certain, result of this decision, oven going as far as to say the price of e'.'gar would go up. - One' member of the audience rose to his feet after- this remarV and Shouted.; "Speak- tue truth ;• what has sugar to .. do with it and has laot the price of it gone up 1" He attempted to say something else, but .was ORDERED TO SIT DOWN, amidst cheers and groans. Order •was only restored when a policeman tapped this interjector on the back and warned him to keep quiet. Mr Malcolm then tried to tell an anecdote about some women m a railway carriage. Another interjector here interposed and asked : "Would not the price of salt pickles 5n Germany have just as much application to the question of No-li-cense pr Prohibition m New Zealand as the ' anecdote you have just told?" Mr Malcolm then stated that on No-license coming into efTecit the people of Olutha were told their boys and young men would grow to be less strong and virile than those an licensed districts, but he said', "Look at their record m boating, cricket, and football. WHERE ARE THE CHAMPIONS ?" {Several of the audience loudly cried, \ 'Auckland , Auckland !" Mr Malcolm proceeded to point out fnV convictions m Clutha m three and a half years before No-license, and for three and a half years after 3S?o-]icense. "Did not the bankruptcies increase and the civil cases ?" o^sked someone at the rear of the hall. "There was sly-grog selling," said Mr Malcolm, "but that only proves that Prohibition ,.. does not prohibit." "But- it did not prohibit bankruptcies or prevent the swelling of ihe list of judgment for debt," was again interjelted. There was loud and continued hooting when Mr Malcolm said that the further men got under the m Cu'ence of liquar the less respectable they got, and an interjector t gain arose with a fusilate of hostil& questions, finally stating, "Those of you who do not work, who are not producers, think nothing of the well-be-ing of the wage-earner, offer no plan of work or wages to be substituted for the established industry you seek to wipe out. yet dare to assume t,o have a, monopoly of the respectability and the virtue ,of the community." Mr Malcolm endeavored to proceed Ibut it was impossible. The chairman was given a hearing and said., "This is our meeting and no one has the right to obstruct it. I have A NOTE FROM THE JUSTICE OF THE PEACE here, under which I cn.n ask the police to act. (Cheers and groans.) . .A Voice -. "Say, Mr Chairman, you invite th? people to attend to listen to a public servant, paid by thewholc people, who comes here at the expertise of the whole people by travelling on a free l'ailway pass, surely m the circumstances I am entitled to ask an adherence t,o truth and that he states facts not fancies, and that he quoted statistics, not tnerely on appeal to sent.im.ent, and this for the education and welfare of the whole people." "If that man interrupts again I shall act up to this note," continued the chairman. Another Voice : "Mr Chairman, the truth must be v-ery painful to you when you adopt such methods to suppress it." Two policemen came up the aisle from the door at the chairman's directions, and proceeded to effect a removal. The man struggled and said, "Of course, officer, having respect for the laAv, I must go out, but. l appeal to that sense of British fair play and free speech that /^everywhere marks the true Briton." ' 7*he chairman persisted m its order and he was eventually escorted out amidst cheers anrl jeers, giving a9 his parting shot : "Yon don't speak, won't have and WILT. NOT PERMIT THE TRUTH." The meeting then proceeded m a more or less lively manner ; interjections ivcre frequent, arid many of 'the speakc-r'r, statements wore challenged warmly, hv.t the Tnv.imis fcene was not ivpeatod. JU ihe finjsh of iTr Malcolm's address, the following questions were put to him : Q. How do you define Prohibition as it would exist m New Zealand, if Dominion or National Prohibition were carried ? A. Mr Malcojm said "Prohibition of the importation of or manufacture or sale of alcohol." Q. Well,, then, can you state where and' when at any time since the Renaissance tiny com- ' rnunity whatsoever of free white people have had or Hve-1 under prohilrtory legislation that does effectively ' prohibit Hie manufacture. ii>>unrt;it ior. or MVe of al--cohoUr rovf-ii •?:■:■ ? A. Vo. ! ,■ ' i , !. -le any plvc-tv-heru any nuUon has had Fro-

hibition on tEese lines. Q. Then it follows, does it not, that if no free white people hav e had PROHIBITION THAT DID PROHIBIT, you and those whose propaganda you seek to further, and who ask the people m New Zealand to accept Prohibition, are only able to show the effect of. Prohibition m Turkey and the failure m Mai^e and other white communities, and cannot give a single fact as to the good or evil of actual Prohibition m a free white community, but must necessarily asflc the people of JNew " Zealand to accept Prohibition wholly and solely on your promise as to what might, and you think/ possibly would result or arise from Prohibition m a community of free whitn people ? A. Mr Malcolm said : "Yes, that is true, but the people of Clutlui. having experienced No-license evidently found it so good that the vote m favor of it increased m percentage at each succeed ingelection." •• . ■ • > Q. The question was then' asked, "Did No-license then mean virtually no liquor as it now does ?" (Mr Malcolm here stated he ■-'."•'■ HAD TO GET HIS TRAIN, and as it was ten minutes • to nine he could wait no longer.) Q. Why .do ; -you not quote the other electorates m New Zealand? Is it not a fact that only two electorates that have had No-li-cense continuously for three years have maintained the three • fifths vote m favor of continuance of No-license m their - particular electorate ? Did not Ash--4 burton virtually' have a majority for restoration ? Mr Malcolm. here left,, and. the chair refused further questions.