MILITARY TRAINING.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 5, 22 August 1911, Page 5

MILITARY TRAINING.

CHRISTCHU RCH MINISTERS’ OBJECTIONS. (Per Press Association.) Christchurch, August -21. At a meeting of the Christchurch Ministers’ Association, held last night, a deputation was received from the National Peace and Anti-Military Council of New Zealand. The objects of the Council wore briefly laid before the ministers by the deputation, who expressed alarm at the action of the Government, in framing a law that came between the parent and the child,

and made criminals of boys who had committed no crime, and was likely to undermine the moral well-being of the family. Special stress was laid upon the inadequacy of the exemption clause of the Act, and reference was made to the inconsistency and inharmony of the military spirit with the teachings of Christ. In answer to ouestions, the deputation stated that the immediate object of the council was to agitate for tho repeal of the compulsory clauses, and that .its aims were law-abiding and peaceful. After the deputation withdrew, the matter was discussed by tho ministers, and a resolution was carried unanimously protesting against the compulsory clauses oi the Act, and pledging themselves to work in the interests of their repeal.

ROWDYISM IN CHRISTCHURCH,

Christchurch, August 21. What was intended to bo an antimilitarist meeting in the Choral Hall to-night developed into one of the rowdiest scenes yet witnessed in Christchurch, and something approaching a riot occurred before the contending factions retired. The- meeting was publicly advertised, and a largo crowd assembled outside, only to find' tiro doors shut and the hall filled with ticket holders. Many of tire men desiring to get inside produced bogus tickets, and some actually entered by this mqairs before tho deception was discovered. Tho crowd of men outside, annoyed at being unable to get in, started -r great uproar, that being followed In the heaving of lumps of road metal through the windows of the hall, the intention being to break up the meeting at any cost.

A flagstaff bearing a Union Jack was also pushed through .i •' (f the windows, but was seized ay somebody inside and tho flag was torn to shreds. This only served ,to increase the violence outside, and finally the assault on the building beer, me so strong that the lights wore put out and 'the meeting closed.

At tho height of the uproar a terrible explosion was heard, and it was at first thought that those opposed to the meeting were trying to blow up tho building. What happened, however, was that a photographer, about to take a flashlight view of the scone, set a light to his magnesium powder while under compression, tho result being that the whole thing exploded. Several windows in the vicinity were shattered. The photographer was hurled off his perch, and a part of his camera outfit loro its way into one of his wrists, which was badly lacerated.

The police meanwhile were working with a will, and soon had a squad of {ho ringleaders in custody, some halfdozen men being arrested altogether. An invasion was also made of the local Socialist Hall, and several windows in that building wore broken. Altogether tho business was most disorderly and discreditable. While tho attack on the Choral Hall was in progress two jets of water from the high pressure supply were directed on tho invaders, and this had anything but the desired effect of cooling tho 100 evident patriotism of the attackers.