A PECULIAR INCIDENT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1229, 11 September 1911, Page 4

A PECULIAR INCIDENT.

« PROFESSOR MILLS AND A QUESTIONER. A rather amusing incident occurred at tlio close of Professor Mills's lecture, "Making the Beginning under the Cooperative Commonwealth," at the Opera House last evening:. One of the statements made by the lecturer was that within three months the whole of the labour organisations of the Dominion would bo brought together in such a manner that they would ho able .to act as one man. In order to perfect tho scheme as quickly as possible, ho made an appeal for funds. Then the chairman (Mr. D. M'Laren, M.P.) iiivilsd questions, and several were asked and answered. One of the audience (Mr. F. Freeman) rose" and asked tho chairman if ho could put a question respecting Mr. Mills's last statement. Mr. Mills replied in the negative. The speaker addressed tho chairman, but Mr. Mills shonicd: "That man must sit down or go out!" The speaker onco more appealed to tho chairman, but Mr. Mills, giving Mr.. M'Laren no chanco to intervene, called upon a constablo to remove tho would-bo questioner. The'chairman thereupon: asked tho constablo to tako no action, and recalled Mr. Freeman as ho was about to lcavo tho building, and asked him to resume his seat. Mr. Freeman said that he always obeyed tho ruling of tho ohair, but not that of tho lecturer, and with that tho inci-' dent ended. The question Mr. Freeman intended to put had ho not been prevented by Mr. Mills was to tho following (fleet:— "Mr. Mills states that within threemonths ho will be able to unite the different labour organisations throughout tho Dominion, and appeals for funds to help the same. That being so, how can he explain that tho Federation of Labour has appointed tho most eloquent man in New Zealand to follow Professor Mills and expose tho hdllowness of his unity scheme?"