THE TWO DEPUTATIONS

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 110, 11 May 1932, Page 8

THE TWO DEPUTATIONS

POSITION EXPLAINED

t THE MAYOR'S; PART -

In yesterday's "Post" appeared a statement that the'-Mayor/ Mir. T.TC. A. 1 Hislop, and Mr.' J. I. • G6ldsniith, chairman of the Citizens' Unemployment Committee, - had •.- offered to accompany a deputation ■• of the strikers to Parliament Buildings .to interview Mr. Coates. This was iijcorrect. The incidents which led toI'the Imisunderstanding were as follows:—At tho meeting of the strikers at the Basin Reserve ' yesterday afternoon, before tho march to tfie Parliament Building grounds, there Was_ much discussion, as to the best means ■•^hereby the strikers could place their views before ' Mr. Coates. Following various speeches the chairman of the meeting, Mr. J. Atkinson, lead a letter from Mr. Hislop, stating that he ' and Mr. Goldsmith -would be willing to receive a de-< putation from the men at 2 p.m. at Mr. Goldsmith's office to. discuss ,the whole position. Mr. Atkinson moved that a deputation should be bo sent, but the invitation : was ; received :in - mixed ■■■ fashion, the majority apparently being of the opinion that an interview with Mr. Coates should be demanded direct.

' Several speakers argued the case' one way and another, and finally a. suggestion was made that the men- should march to Mr. Goldsmith's office and "demand" that the Mayor and he should accompany them to Parliament Buildings.' This proposal^ met with general approval, and was apparently carried byv unanimous voto, but it was then far past 2 o'clock, and there was further delay awaiting tho arrival of the contingent from tho Miramar jobs.

DEPUTATIONS QUITE DISTINCT.

The proposal that he and Mr.' Goldsmith should be asked to accompany tho strikers to Parliament Buildings was, not'communicated to Mr. Hislop, arid in any case he would not have considered it, for his suggestion was altogether ■ different, i.e., that representar tiveß of the men gathered at the Basin Reserve should discuss the question with himself and, Mr. Goldsmith, ■at Mr. Goldsmith ?s office. --. . • ,

Mr. Hislop to-day made an-emphatic denial of the statement that ha -had made ,any offer to accompany the men aa reported. He had not agreed to participate, in the deputation, and he had not been in the Baßin Reserve or in the procession. He had*) actually interviewed the Minister of Employment, the Right Hon. J. G. Coates, in company with members of the Citizens' Unemployment Committee, the body responsible for the administration of the relief scheme in Wellingtons - ■ , Mr. Hislop said that at this inter-

view the speakers placed before the Ministor their views on the apparent weaknesses in the present scheme. ''We met with a most courteous reception, and. I am satisfied that every effort will be made to meet the difficulties which havo arisen pending the change-over to the new scheme," said Mr. Hislop. "Our effort will be to see that there will be such reasonable provision of wages and rations aa will enable men and their families to have at least enough to live on. It does not help when men stop work."