PASSING NOTES

Hokitika Guardian, 7 November 1928, Page 8

PASSING NOTES

(By Civis in Otago Times)

The one place where rude fellows of the baser sort may conveniently and comfortably mock their betters in an election meeting. A re- . out Adelaide; cable states that at an election meeting in that city Mr Bruce, Prime .Minister and First Citizen of the the Australian Commonwealth. failed to get a hearing. People were there to hear him. hut thcr was a also howling mob, resolved that he sould not he heard. No platform novice, .Mr Bruce contended for a while, but finally, was “counted out.” Singularly effective this device. A band of roughs at the back of the hall shouted in unison—One—- _ Two—Three—Fou r—F i ve—S i x—Sev-en—Eight—Nine—Ten--Out ! So again ■id •’gain ad capo. After five minutes of this the chairman rises, pushing hack his chair; the speaker waves a contemptuous farewell; the platform clears; all is over and done. 1 nere is no contending against a sustained count out. Its very effieacacy makes against its use, for the hooligans who count out a speaker and his audience count out themselves, and from the that moment lose the fun of the fair. North and South, Mr Coates has his •i I tendance of hecklers (“heckle,” related to “lmckle” and “hack”), and is; none the worse for it, the better rather. The only attempt to count him out will he on November 14tli—a forlorn hope as will he seen when tho numbers go up.

It is matter for thanks that in this political turmoil, and with the Bay of iw,m so near we are not greatly troubled by Pussyfoot. There is a blessed calm! Also in the Licensing Bill debate, reported at large in recent Hansards—a dreary weary affair—most of Pussyfoot’s “trussed fowl” friends, tied hand and foot by much regretted election pledges, endured their misery in silence. Some remarks from the othci s’de will hear quoting. One lion, member complains: “T have a champagne palate and a beer income.” Not an uncommon case; sympathisers offer on every hand. Another hon. member has been driven out oi church hv Pussyfoot preachings. I have left off going to my church because for many years when I went to church the parsons preached prohibition to me and ! wanted to hear something better than that. On one occasion T promised to go hack. They had a now pastor not inclined that way. and I went hack, and will you believe me, T

A Voice; Took up the collection. The Hon Member; No. There was a lay preacher there, and the parson in charge did not arrange what the .sermon was to he, and when the preacher came out with a sermon on prohibition, f. nearly got up and walked out. I have not been back since. Of greater interest are the discoveries of another hon. member in the King Country, where Pussyfoot presides over No-license. Tu a township north of the 'Wanganui "River lie found that the principal industry seemed to lie home brewing. “The men of the town—not the wasters hut the worthwhile citizens—perambulated from home-brew joint to home-brew joint.” Later he visited a hush camp and came into contact with a largo number ot men “splendid follows every one of them.”

T went to this bush camp, and

what did I find? I found that nine out of ten of the men made good home brew. T a,m not an authority as honourable members of this House know. Somebody told me that the homo brew was a.s mild as hop-beer, and on that recommendation I had a small glass of beer. That beer was powerful. I bad to speak that day,

and I avoided taking any more. Tf Pussyfoot survives tlie Bay of Boom victorious, wliicli is not likely, it will be necessary to ferret out and publish broadcast the recipe for this North Island home brew.