VISIT CURTAILED

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 128, 23 February 1939, Page 10

VISIT CURTAILED

Mr. Goldberg Leaves New Zealand

WARNED OF FURTHER BOYCOTT

Plan To Attend Conference Abandoned By Telegraph—Press Association. AUCKLAND, February 22. Curtailing his visit to New Zealand because of warnings that he might again be boycotted by ' hotel employees, Mr. Frank Goldberg, governing director ot Goldberg Advertising Agency, Ltd., abandoned his plans to attend the newspaper proprietors conference at Hanmer Springs, returned to Auckland this week and left for Sydney by the Awatea today. Just before his departure f °r he said: “This affair is a trial or strength between the Labour Government and the unions. Unless the Government asserts itself, there will be many repercussions from this boycott of UIVSPIf. “I went to Christchurch on February 14 with the express intention of attending the Press conference at Hanmer Springs, which, opened last Monday, thought after my disagreeable experience at the hands of certain unionists in Wellington and Christchurch that that would be the end of it, but to my astonishment I was warned by certain persons connected with the political side of the Labour movement that I probably would be refused service if I went to Hanmer Springs. “In the circumstances what couiu i do but cancel my plans? I had been advised not to go, and I had no wish to have my friends at the conference suffer distasteful experiences on my account. Unknown to anyone I quietly left Christchurch on Thursday evening and crossed that night by ferry to Wellington. . “That day I sent a telegram to the Prime Minister saying, ‘I wish to make arrangements to leave New Zealand for my home in Australia. Would you kindle assure me that I will be free to leave New Zealand without embarrassment? An urgent reply will facilitate my early departure,’ ‘•I received this reply: ‘Your telegram received. lam not aware of any reason why you should not leave at your leisure. —M. J. Savage’” No Interference. Mr. Goldberg left Wellington on Sunday night and arrived at Auckland on Monday morning. He stayed at one of the leading hotels and did not meet with any interference. He said that since the publication of the reports dealing with his trouble with unionists in the south he had received dozens of letters and telegrams from all parts of the Dominion from people who expressed their abhorrence of the tactics employed. Publicity had been given the matter in Australian newspapers and he had received several sympathetic cablegrams from different parts of the Commonwealth. “The whole matter is in the hands of my legal advisers concerning action against the parties concerned in the boycotting of myself. My attitude is well expressed in a telegram I received from Auckland. The message was: ‘Congratulations on your opposition. Fight your hardest. Every person who values liberty is behind you.’ ” Mr. Goldberg arrived at and left Auckland unannounced. Though he did not expect any further trouble he did'nothing which might unwittingly reflect upon the hotel at which he stayed. He received every courtesy from the staff and he suffered not the slightest discomfort. He repeated to his interviewer his belief that certain sections of the industrial movement were doing their utmost to test the strength of the political sections of labour in New Zealand.