QUESTION OF RIGHT

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXX, Issue 273, 23 November 1935, Page 2

QUESTION OF RIGHT

Minister of Finance I MEETING AT ROTORUA ADMISSION BY TICKET (Per Press Association) ROTORUA, Last Night. Claiming that as electors and taxpayers they had been reprived of the right to attend a public meeting adr dressed by the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates at the Majestic Theatre to-night, over 500 persons, who were unable to obtain admittance owing to the action of the committee in limiting this to “by ticket,” held a meeting of protest in a hall adjoining. The deputy-Mayor, Mr E. T. Johnson presided. Several speakers, including prominent citizens, alleged that they had been asked when making application for a ticket whether they were in support of the Government and that, when they denied this, tickets had been refused. Allegation were also made that many of these most prominent citi- ] zens in Rotorua had been refused*, tickets while electors from far-dis-tant parts of the electorate had been offered admission. The meeting unanimously decided to pass the following resolution and that efforts be made to have it freely circulated through the Press of the Dominion: This large and representative meeting of the electors of Rotorua registers an emphatic protest against the denial of the right of the public to attend a meeting at which the Minister of Finance was to speak on matters of vital importance to the citizens of Rotorua. This meeting also protests at the action of Mr A. V. P. Ford, chairman of the Rotorua branch of the National Party, in demanding of applicants for tickets an assurance that they were supporters of the present Government before supplying them with tickets for admission to Mr Coate’s meeting. y