MR SEMPLE HECKLED
DISPUTE WITH INTERJECTOR. LATTER LEAVES IN WAKE OF CONSTABLE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, September 28. Organised heckling by a party from Christchurch enlivened a meeting addressed by the Hon R. Semple at Tai Tapu last. night, and culminated in one of the most persistent hecklers leaving the hall behind a constable. A small minority in the audience of 400 or more persistently heckled the Minister during the latter part of his two hours’ address, but Mr Semple was more than equal to their attempts to embarrass him. After the interjector had followed the constable out of the hall, about twenty persons rose and left. Mr Semple said Mr Coates had aggravated distress in New Zealand during the depression and asked if the audience could find any redeeming feature in his policy. “Tell us about some of the good he did,” said an interjector. “You don’t bluff me,” said Mr Semple. “You can’t come to my meeting and make a scene and get off scot free.” A section of the audience then shouted that the Minister ought to apologise to the interjector. A bigger section said the interjector should apologise to the Minister. Uproar existed for a minute or two. Mr E. Edridge asked the Minister what was the Labour Government’s intention towards the country quota. Mr Semple: “Labour is not worrying about the country quota.” The original interjector rose and shouted something which was lost in the din of shouting, boos and applause, Which blotted out the end of Mr Edridge’s argument with the Minister. A constable who had been standing at the back of the hall advanced down the aisle and waved a warning hand at the interjector, who promptly rose. When he reached the aisle, he turned to the Minister, raised his hand in the Fascist salute, and followed tne constable out of the hall. Loud applause greeted his departure. The Minister said he had so far addressed sixty-seven meetings in various parts of New Zealand, but had never until that night had an un-1 friendly word said against him. “They can’t come to my meetings and make a scene without getting it in the neck,” he added.
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Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 September 1938, Page 2
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363MR SEMPLE HECKLED Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 September 1938, Page 2
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