Political Meeting's

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19555, 10 February 1938, Page 18

Political Meeting's

Sir, —Having attended at both the meetings of Mr. J. A. Lee and Mr. S. G. Holland, I could not help but be impressed with the extraordinary contrast between the hearing accorded Mr. Lee on the one part, and Mr. Holland on the other part. Both meetings were largely attended by people evidently representing all shades of political thought, and during the whole course of Mr. Lee's lecture, statements were made that must have been diametrically opposed to the political views and opinions of a large ;ection of his audience, were listened to with courtesy and attention, and he was accorded as fair a hearing as any exponent of political theories could reasonably expect. The converse was the case when Mr. Holland "addressed us as a representative of the new Mational Party, and I came away from that meeting with a. feeling of shame at the treatment.meted-oujt to him, by an evidently organised opposition, who heckled and interrupted him from the inception to the close of his address.

Many people try to keep an open mind on political questions and desire to hear both sides of the argument put in a fair manner, and also desire to hear the addresses without the speaker being subjected to a continual fire of stupid bandinage which must necessarily have a disturbing effect on any but an able and experienced speaker, hindering him in placing his reasonable views before his audience, and preventing that audience from obtaining the full benefit of the problems dealt with. To my mind the exhibition given by a certain section of Mr. Holland's audience was a disgrace to the town of Gisborne. and very far removed from the principles of British fairness and iustice, which demand, and rightly so, the right of free speech to all citizens,

and the right to at least a courteous hearing, even from their opponents. I No doubt the saner elements of the Labour Party cannot be blamed for the hoodlumism of certain members of the party, but it causes one to pause and think, as it becomes evident that such an element exists within the Labour ranks, and one wonders what sort of Government we would get if this element obtained a dominating influence in the Labour Party's counsels—Yours, etc., FAIR-GO.