A HUMOROUS MEETING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1824, 9 May 1918, Page 2

A HUMOROUS MEETING.

A meeting called to protest against remarks made at Amberley recently by Mr Holland, Mayor of Christchurch, in which he advised departing soldiers not to bring back English factory girls as wives, was held on Monday night, in the Trades Hall in Christchurch, The meeting was disorderly throughout, and the proceedings were decidedly humorous, The chairwoman called for speakers, whereupon a lady mounted the platform and harangued the audience at some length on the way English girls and women spent their husband’s - money, the “poor little Belgiums,” and a number pf other subjects. During the course of her remarks she stated that the costume she had on was five years old. (Wild applause). A resolution was put by a returned soldier: “That this meeting demand a public apology from the Mayor for his slander of English girls.” Amid considerable uproar, the motion was declared carried. A further motion: “That this meeting go up to the Mayor’s house and make him apologise straight away 1 ,” was defeated, the principal opposer stating that if they did go to the Mayor’s house there would be 40,000 police about, and the newspapers would say it was a disgraceful scene. A lady member of the audience then suggested that the meeting should go up in ladylike manner. (Laughter). It was decided to demand a public apology through the press. A female voice: “Through Sir James Allen,” A number of people then attempted to speak together, and there was considerable disorder, above which the voice of the chairwoman could bo heard vainly demanding peace. Eventually a committee was elected to deal with the matter, one of those elected being the returned soldier who moved the first resolution. Upon his declining to be one of the committee, he was violently harangued by a woman in the audience, but eventually on the voices it was decided to allow him to retract. The meeting then adjourned.