MRS. YOUNG ON THE HUSTINGS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3867, 6 November 1928, Page 2

MRS. YOUNG ON THE HUSTINGS.

A ROASTING FOR THE LABOUR LEADERS. A PLUCKY WJOAIAN. Wellington, Last Night. Airs. AI. Young, Independent Labour candidate for Wellington Central, whose last-minute nomination was the surprise of Wellington, had a very mixed reception when she spoke to-night to a packed hall. “It gives me pleasure to seek your suffrages,” she said. “I hope you will appreciate my position. I have nobody at my back in any sense of the word. I stand for Labour, because I am pledged to Labour. I joined it some time ago, but as I have said, I don’t Tike the heads of the movement and I never have.” A loud voice: “Why'? Because your old man is out as secretary of the Union.” (Laughter). “I don’t suppose any person in this world has more reason to dislike them than I,” Airs. Young proceeded, amidst (interruptions. “I am standing for the same views as are held by the Labour Party you all so much like.” A voice: “Speak up, Maggie.” Mrs. Young paused in her address the time of waiting being filled in with cat-ealls from the body of the hall. WOAIBN NOT FREE ENOUGH. “You wtomen ‘ are not free enough,” she declared, when the disorder had subsided. “You want to stand up for yourselves in every sense of the word. When you working people want houses, you should not be wasting your money paying for Labour candidates. Let them pay for themselves if they are plucky enough to do it, then you know they are, standing in your interests.” (Hear, hear, and uproar). Proceeding with her speech, Airs. Young had got as far as the assertion that “the heads of the Labour Party are never going to improve New Zealand,” when she was subjected to further heckling of a disorderly nature, loud “boos” and cries of “shut up,” cheeking her utterances momentarily. “THE HEADS” SEVERELY HANDLED. Not to be deflected from her -argument, Airs. Young continued, “The heads of the Labour movement in New Zealand are only going to improve themselves in their own positions. - They are worse than'a secret society, their vendetta travels far and wide and you never know when you may get a stab in the back.” A voice: “Wtaihi!” Airs. Young: “You will hear all about Wailii soon enough.” (Further uproar). Airs. Young: “You people have been in bondage long enough. If I get only one vote of my own in this election, I think it will have been well worth the game.” A heckler: “What about the Hindus?” Airs Young: “They have, as much right to live as you have.” (Loud applause). A lady in the body of the hall rose and appealed for a fail' hearing for the candidate. Her injunction, “Be men,” was met with further uproar and cries fired at the candidate of “Come on, wake up.” ALAN FALLS THROUGH WINDOW. Airs. Young was about to resume, when there was a loud shattering of glass. After the man who had fallen through the window had been assisted to his feet, the candidate again made herself heard. A heckler: “Go back to 1920 and your old man’s a scab.” Airs. Young: “You have never dared say that to his face and you never will. He was too loyal to the Labour Party to stand up for himself but I am here to stand up lor myself.” (Hear, hearl) WAJLHi STRIKE. “Now the Waihi strike was engineered by Semple and Holland, the famous Holland they wanted to get in the public eye. There was no other way of doing it than by having a strike. They had to ask the engineers to come with the Aimers Union. The engineers refused to do it so the miners came out at the instigation of these ‘two great men.’ It was not a strike for the betterment of the men but to advance Holland and ‘Semple. “Mr. Young had more sense than any of the other— —” (uproar). A heckler: “You have turned lam down.” Airs. Young (warmly): “I have not. I think he has been foolish to be loyal to a party that comes between man and wife (applause).” “If you don’t do as the leaders, tell you, you have got to be punished for all time. All'. Young would not come out with the Waihi strike so he had to be punished for all time. If he wants anything now, they say “What about the 1913 strike.” Holland, Semple and Fraser were at the bottom of the Seamen’s Union trouble.” WORK FOR SEAMEN. She claimed that Mi'. Young’s work for the seamen had undermined his health and the seamen had got the best conditions of any Seamen’s Union in the world. A heckler: “But Young got £l2 a week.” Another heckler: “You have done well out of his wages.” Airs. Young: “I’m not getting much now. I am here for the principles of any Labour candidate. Although I have not the official badge I am still for Labour.” Mrs. Young said she believed the old age pension should be increas-

ed. “I also believe,” she said, “in free school requisites.” (Applause). “I did not want anybody to lose his job and That is what would have happened if anybody in the movement came forward to support me. That is the position with the Labour Partj’ to-day.” She was in favour ofl the pension to widows being increased and that something should be done for the unemployed. (Applause). Airs. Young asked how it was that a loyal member of the Labour party could not get employment.'' v A voice: “There are a lot of us like that.” (Uproar). Airs. Young: “You are always taught to run down the capitalists, but the leaders of Labour are aiming to be some of the capitalists of this country by having three or four jobs.” The candidate said she intended to see the contest through, and she hoped to be able to put up a good fight, in spite of her inexperience. WISHES FOR SUCCESS. , 4 “I hope to make a better fist of it next election.” She added, amidst applause, “I am out for the betterment and freedom of women. I have had letters from all over New Zealand, wishing me success in this campaign, saying that it is a plucky thing to do. I feel it is a plucky thing to do. Until I came to this hall, I never realised how plucky it was.” Mrs. Young said she was sure women knew that strikes were dreadful things. They did not hurt men as much as they injured the womdn and children. If women were in Parliament and there had a say in things, there would not be the same number of strikes. A female voice: “Leave the strikes alone.” “I am not in favour of immigration, I think there are quite enough people in this country to be looked after first. If they are looked after, there will be no need for immigration.” A lighted cracker thrown through the window of the hall exploded with a loud bang. HER DEPOSIT. A heckler: “Where did Mrs. Young get the deposit for her nomination?” A lady supporter of Mr. Fraser: “She assures me she paid it out of her own pocket.” Mrs. Young: “That is so.” Speaking amid further uproar, the lady supporter of Air. Fraser said that like the candidate, she was trying to speak to the men, women and puppies of New Zealand. The puppies were those who were doing the yelling and yapping.** “I hope,” she added smilingly, “that I have calmed you down into such a state that you will give Mrs. Young a .fair hearing” (applause). In concluding her remarks, Airs. Young claimed that she was entit- .'J led to the support of the electors, if only on account of her pluck. She expected to be at the head of the poll. At the next meeting, she J would go more fully into her pro- * gramme. As the meeting was about to disperse, three cheers were called for Airs. Young. These were heartily responded to. A call for cheers for Air. Fraser met with a mixed reception, while a call for similar honours for Mr. H. E. Holland produced one solitary cheer. Alany of those present shook hands with the candidate before she withdrew from the platform.