THE DREADNOUGHT.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9419, 15 April 1909, Page 4

THE DREADNOUGHT.

ROWDY MEETING IN CHRISTCHURCH. Per Press Association. x Christchurch, April, 14. At the meeting held in , the King Edward barracks to-night -under the auspices of the Navy League to, consider amotion endorsing the actions of Cabinet re the offer of a Dreadnought and approving of the offer made to the British Government, there were quite 400 people present,, and 'from the start 4 the meeting waamost disorderly 'and broke up in confusion.

“ None of the speakers was given fr hearing and even the two bishops. Bishops Julius and Grimes, oh rising to speak, received groans and cheem mixed, which continued and prevented them from being heard. Nobody In the crowd had the least ideawhat was going on, due to the awful uproar made by a noisy section standing just in front of the platform.

A call for a show of hands In favour of the resolution had to bedone by means of a notification on a* blackboard. The motion'was declared carried amidst a scene of indescribable confusion and' then followed a perfect pandemonium. Mr T. B. Taylor, M.P., in whom: the disturbing factors recognised their leader, endeavoured to speak, bnt could not be heard owing to the din, and his violent gestioulationswere not understood.

A Union Jack, at bna corner of the platform, was pulled down by some fanatic an d before it could be rescued was torn into sbreds and trampled underfoot. Eventually, after a great struggle, in which hundreds of men joined, the flag was rescued and towed on to the platform and hoisted aloft by the Hon. Lieut. -Col. Smith, , amid frenzied cheers.

Another, great fight took, place over possession of the blackboard used for putting the motion. It was first of all snatched away from a table on the platform by Mr Taylor’s adherents and an attempt was made to carry it to where Mr Taylor was standing, presumably with the object of putting a hostile amendment in the same way, but the patriotic crowd got to work and 'the blackboard was tossed about like a raft on a sea of heads, until it was carried to one end of the barracks. When it was announced that the proceedings were closed, thousands remained cheering and hooting, and it was not until the lights were extinguished that the barracks could be cleared. ;

A noisy open-air meeting was held in Cathedral Square afterwards, and the Bishops and other prominent citizens who were ,at the meetihg spoke in terms of the greatest disgust at the conduct of a certain section of the crowd at the indoor meeting.. OTHER MEETINGS. Aucaland, April 14. Hotly worded protests were received at the meeting of Auckland Trades and Labour Council to-night from the Bricklayers’ and Carpenters’ Unions against the resolution carried at last meeting of|the Council condemning Government’s Dreadnought gift. Several delegates said their societies had instructed them to express their disapproval of the motion and it was mentioned that so strong was the feeling that had been caused that it'was probable that aa a protest one Society at least would withdraw from the Council. Invercargill, April 14.

At a meeting at Walkiwi, convened by Mr W. A. Morris,, who opposed Sir Joseph Ward for ?A warna electorate, it was resolved “That in the opinion of this meeting of A warns electors, the action of the Ward Government in making an unconditional and absolute offer of a battleship to the BritiehlGovernmenfc without tbe authority of Parliament, merits severe censnre and forfeiture of, the people’s confidence in the Ward Government.’’ The. speakers affirmed the need of maintaining: naval supremacy, but condemned the unconstitutional method of making; the offer. -