THE LIQUOR BATTLE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1266, 23 October 1911, Page 5

THE LIQUOR BATTLE.

d —--■ - $ -n-i. mm— LIYELY SCENES AT ASHRURTON. a '! NO-LICENSE SPEAKER THROWN r OVER A FENCE, il t (By TclecraDh.—Press Association.) S Ashburton, October 22. ; On (ho past four Saturday nights Na s Licenso advocates liavo addressed ~open-. air meetings from the Railway Reservo abutting tho wain street, and right ;iu tlio eonlro of t'lio town. Tlicy havo y throughout been received in anything but ' a cordial manner and liavo twice been ~ subjected to very objectionable remarks. y A week ago the speakers were practically f. howled down, but this was mild to what' t happened last night when between four j and live hundred peoplo assembled, many ]• for Ihe purpose oi' seeing the "fun," v The first speaker had a moderate bear's ing, (hough the younger scetion of tho ~ crowd (o .some extent succeeded in drowning his voice by singing "We'll Roll tho II Old Chariot Away." When ho concluded h he seemingly back-stepped too far and fell y from tho wagon, which was used as a ,1 platform. ]le then attempted to retire ; t from tho meeting, but' was prevented. 0 A clergyman was now speaking, but ho had not gone far when a sympathiser ' n who was villi him in the wagon holding 1(! a t'oreli was pulled from behind and susj tained a nasty fall. ]Je turned ajid closed ,f with his assailant and tho crowd excitedjc ly surged after them. Tho assailant es- . caped and tho pursuer also reached a' placo of greater safely. The crowd, who were mostly antagonu istic, wns now excited, and catching sight , of tho first speaker a few yards up tho street, made lor him and threw him over Die Courlhonso fence. He escaped, and tho crowd began to quieten, the presence >t of several policemen, two of whom had n earlier to eject and arrest a drunken man who was making obnoxious remarks near o the wagon, largely assisting to this ond. i- The meeting had mcanlimo closed in t> good-humoured disorder. Even (ho asraults and chases were good-humoured so far as could Ik l seen. The No-Licenso IV leaders accept the incident in tho best 0 of spirit and have not yet decided whe- -• ('her (o prosecuto their assailants, tho r names of some of whom arc known to (ho '■ speakers. The Rev. T. R. B. Wooloxall says ho V had been threatened with violence by sov- '' oral people whose names will be given to * the police, but this and last, night's secno '' will not deter (he No-License party from continuing their meetings. Ho also oxJ 1 prosed (ho opinion that tho opponents 1 of No-License had "primed" a number " of men who had mado themselves ob--0 noxious, and that they were organising. J Though tho meetings do not eonvionea till 8.15 p.m., so as not to interfere with 'j general business, the fruiterers, confcctioncrs, refreshment-room keepers, hair. ' dres=?rs, and t.obaoonnists, who remain J open and do good business till W o'clock complain that their takings are much effected as tho shops are immediately dosorted in favour of (ho "fun," ' Tho n "Guardian," in deploring the outbreaks, calls for greater orderliness and a larger 1 measure of British fair play. ,