UNRULY LABOUR.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 31433, 13 April 1923, Page 5

UNRULY LABOUR.

DISORDER IN PARLIAMENT HOUSE OF COMMONS ADJOURNED. Electric Telegraph—Press Association Copyright. (Australian-N.Z. Cable Association.) London, April 11. When the House of Commons resumed at seven o’clock, it was crowded. The Speaker immediately rose and said: “In view of grave disorders in the House, by virtue of my powers under Standing Orders, l adjourn the House.” "Without a question being put, the Speaker left the chair and members left the Chamber without further disorder. Earlier in the day. there had been an uproar. Mr Thorne asked the Speaker to adjourn the sitting for a time, but the Speaker replied that it would be a bad precedent to adjourn, because of disorder. Mr Pretyman rose and opened the next business but the Labourites began singing with mechanical reptitions of “Sit down!” and “Speak up!” For three minutes, Mr Pretyman stood without being heard. Mr Ramsay MacDonald for a moment stilled the uproar, hut it broke out again. Mr Will Thorne shouting to the Speaker “You may as well adjourn,” and other Labourites shouted across the Chamber, “Yon dirty dogs.” The Speaker rose, and amidst the turmoil suspended the sitting for an hour, the announcement being received with exultant Labour cries. As the members were quitting the Chamber, another exciting incident occurred. A group of Labourites suddenly dashed across the Chamber near the Speaker’s chair and confronted a knot of Ministerialists, including Captain W. G. A. OrmsbyGore. Suddenly a fist shot out close to Captain Ormsby-Gore’s head and he put up bis arms to ward off the blow. Messrs MacDonald and Baldwin endeavoured to intervene and a scuffle followed in the lobbies, whence angry cries were beard, but the sequel was lost to tlie Press gallery. THE RED FLAG. LABOUR REBUKED BY I.EADER. (Received this day, at 9.35 a.m.i London, April 12. After the melee in llie House of Commons yesterday, Mr Ramsay MacDonald summoned a meeting of the Labour Party, and sharply reprimanded members for singing •The Red Flag.” He urged them to confine their protests to recognised Parliamentary methods, and he made it> clear that his continuance oil the leadership depended upon the party conducting itself in a constitutional way.