HOOTING MR HUGHES

Hokitika Guardian, 9 July 1920, Page 3

HOOTING MR HUGHES

A PRIME MINISTER AND HIS PEOPLE, \ SYDNEY, June 29> in no country in the world do they make such a business of polities as they do here in Australia; and one of the j quaintest aspects of tin’s condition is 1 that" those;' who are in are as cynical I as those who arc out. The Man-in- ! the-street, bemoaning the condition of ! the country,’ curses tile politicians, de* j clarcs that politics is simply now a ! money-making profession, and hoots ■ very heartily when his political leaders pass, wlfopyep they may he. The Man- i in-Parliiiinent, Hearing tlie curses, merely grill 1", draws ids salary, and goes comfortably on his way, confident that when the next election comes along “tlie fool i public” will send him hack to Parliament again. Roth are. right. To some such attitude of mind one must ascribe (lie singularly unanimous hooting of “Billy’’ Hughe,, when be came with the Prince of Wales )(> S,yi|: ney the other day. Re hail hepn hooted wiieri he, fallowed the Prince in thp, prqeessioti ip Mplhqurpc, qm) iu Sydney the people turned from the Prince, with smiles on their faces and cheers on their lips, and, suddenly discovering Mr Hughes following right behind, broke forthwith into groans and hoots, it was most remarkable, lint “Billy” did not scum to mind. He smiled and lie waved his liapd, as punetieilausly as did the Prince. It was as if Lis deafness prevepte.d hiip hearing thp liootI Some sai(| the demonstration was an . expression of public disapproval of the action of Federal politicians in iuoreasj, jug their splai'y hy £40(1 per annum, j Perhaps it was. But the people arc always very ready to hoot Mr Hughes

—and just as ready to vote him bark to power at next election. The little man knows this —and the frequent demonstrations against him affect him not at all. He lias deliberately -tjuilied Australian psychology, , and will talk most interestingly about tlie moods of the-mol). He lias extraordinary power over a mob, whether it lie angry wliarfies in Sydney, or cold and critical arisoertas; in England. Apparently, in his anxiety to do the right thing, Mr Hughes made himself rather ridiculous jn Sydney. When he mot the Prince at. the landing, lie wpre a belltopper; later, in the procession, lie was np.tieod to have a felt haf/'on his head; pud i\t the end he had stjl) another kind of hat. How it happened, no one knows—dmt the less serious newspapers made the most of it and “Bally and the Three Hats” has had a deal of attention, all tending to throw ridicule on the Minister.