KEEPING ORDER AT MEETINGS

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22513, 22 September 1938, Page 12

KEEPING ORDER AT MEETINGS

INSTRUCTIONS TO

POLICE

FIRM MEASURES TO BE

TAKEN

COMMISSIONER ON ORGANISED HOOLIGANISM

(FBESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) WELLINGTON, September 21. Stern measures to deal with organised hooliganism at political meetings, with the possibility of Court prosecutions for offenders, were announced to-day by the Commissioner of Police. Mr D. J. Cummings.

The department had issued instructions to police throughout the Dominion on maintaining order, as far as practicable, at political meetings, said Mr Cummings. The principal concern of the police must always be to preserve order, and where there was any hooliganism, the police were to adopt a firm altitude at the outset, so that offenders might know what to expect. The police, of course, would take no notice of occasional interjections or good-humoured banter, but any organised attempt to prevent a speaker from being heard, or persistent noise, boo.ing, or counting-out, would not be tolerated. Any person offending in this direction would be firmly dealt with, and subsequently prosecuted for misbehaviour.

“It is the desire of the department to prevent these disturbances if it is at all possible,” said Mr Cummings, “and if persons who attend these political meetings refuse to comply with the requests made to them by the police, then they must take the consequences of being put out of the meeting, and prosecuted in Court. I sincerely hope that there will be no occasion during the whole campaign to take these extreme measures.' If people will only be reasonable, they will And the police reasonable: but where any attempt is made to break up a meeting, or to prevent a speaker from being heard, drastic measures will have to be taken.” If anybody should find that an address was not to, his liking, said Mr Cummings, he could get up and leave the hall, or else not attend the meeting at all. This would get over a lot of difficulty. The police appreciated that Interjections and good-natured banter on many occasions helped a speaker: but when this sort of thing was carried too far, it was another matter altogether.

FULL AGREEMENT EXPRESSED

VIEWS OF MINISTER IN

CHARGE

“LAW MUST BE UPHELD” (PRESS ASSOCIATION TKOEOBAIt.) WELLINGTON, September 21. . Full agreement with the .statement issued by the Commissioner of Police was expressed by the Hon. P. Fraser, Labour candidate for Wellington Central, speaking at Hataitai to-night. The subject arose at question time, when a man who said he agreed that law and order must be maintained asked Mr Fraser whether he thought it necessary to prosecute hecklers. Mr Fraser said the Commissioner’s statement was published after consultation with himself, as Minister in charge of the Police Department. He had seen the instructions that had gone out to the police, and he agreed with them. As the Commissioner had pointed out, no candidate was likely to object to reasonable interjections, but if a candidate were prevented from expressing his views to his fellow citizens, that was wrong, and it was against the law. , “The law has got to be upheld,” said Mr Fraser. “The Commissioner did not say that prosecutions must take place, or that it is a criminal offence. Parliament settled that long ago. All I can say is that the people w.io want to help democracy and uphold freedom of speech should not only conduct themselves properly at meetings; but should also induce others to do the same. Above all, if they have the cause of Labour at heart, it is their duty not to interfere with freedom of speech in any way whatsoever. I think the Commissioner’s statement was fair, well reasoned, and tolerant, but firm.'

MAORI MEMBER’S

ADDRESS

GREATER OPPORTUNITY FOR NATIVES WANTED

(PBES9 ASSOCIATION TXr.EOSAX.V'j DANNEVIRKE, September 21

In an address to local natives this afternoon, the Hon. Sir Apirana Ngata (National. Eastern Maori) said that the next five or six years were going to be very important in the life of the Maori people, and the Maori should be able to make a distinct step forward. He should be careful not to be sidetracked by temporary measures, and lose sight of the lenger-range benefits. The Maori must look not only for equality in wages and conditions, but for equality of opportunity. Sir Apirana said that at present the native was definitely not _ getting the same opportunities, either in Public Works or Civil Service, the latter of which should be a distinct opening for Maori boys who went through schools. The whole Public Works psychology was one. of higher wages and, no looking to the future. They had to guard against any slipping back and to look further than the pick, shovel, and axe. - The Maoris now had far less land than they needed, and many had to get employment somewhere. They had got to see'that the Maori youth had education and training, and a better opportunity to make use of it in employment. With proper continuity and reasonable employment, the ejlsting Maori settlements should have round them sufficient land so that those who wished to take up different types of employment could do so.

SOUTHERN MAORI CANDIDATE

Mr P. McDonald, of Picton, Independent candidate for the Southern Maori seat at the General Election, is visiting Canterbury. He will speak in southern centres and will probably return to ChristichtßPAi lor. a meeting at the weelc-~onA>