“WE WANT FOOD”

Evening Star, Issue 21073, 9 April 1932, Page 12

“WE WANT FOOD”

ANOTHER DEMONSTRATION NO RELIEF TO-DAY FROM MAYOR'S DEPOT CANVASS MADE OF CITY BUSINESS HOUSES Because supplies were exhausted the Mayor’s Belief Depot was not opened to-day. A big crowd of the unemployed assembled in the Octagon and marched to the Hospital Board’s offices in St. Andrew street, where the secretary (Mr John Jacobs) told a deputation that the hoard would not consider the reissue of orders until Thursday's meeting. A strong posse of police maintained order, although the crowd was in a restless mood. When the crowd was assembled near George street and marched towards the Town Hall steps the police prevented Hunter from taking a stand on the steps. The crowd then moved up to the wall outside St. Paul’s Cathedral, where Hunter said he could not see why they should be debarred from speaking for what they richly deserved from a public building. H We are assembled here to carry on the good work until we get what we want,” he said. The movement had not received much satisfaction yesterday, although forty cases were served at the St. Andrew street depot. Mrs Black had said only necessitous cases would be served, to which he had replied that all the cases were necessitous. Three-quarters of an hour was spent by Mrs Black in investigating the first four cases. He had told her; “if you are going to start this, I am going to take them out, and you know the result. These people would nbt be here unless they really wanted tucker. We want no ’investigation at all.” Mrs Black was at the depot against her will. She was not out to help them. She had attended to the cases with a grudge. The position now was that the unemployed were going to carry on. A procession would be formed to march on the Hospital Bard office. He could notsee why the board could not meet before next Thursday. “We are going to the Hospital Board to get what we want,” said Hunter. “ If we don’t get it there—well, we leave it to you people.” AT THE BOARD’S OFFICE.

Preceded by two men carrying a big banner, several women and about 200 men formed themselves into a procession. As they marched down George street they chanted verses of the 4 Red Flag,’ but any instructions issued by the police were strictly and promptly observed. When the procession halted outside the board’s office, the call “ What do we want?” went up. Ihe answer was “ Food.” Hunter attempted to enter the office but he was told by Sergeant Wade and Sergeant Boulton to wait until they ascertained if the board’s secretary would receive a deputation. Some five minutes later Hunter and Proctor and two women were admitted. While they were in the office the crowd was quiet for five minutes, but when leaflets were distributed a more robust performance of the militant anthem was given. When Mr Jacobs, the board’s secretary received the deputation, Hunter told him that Mrs Black had been abusive to the seekers after relief last night. The people outside were hungry and the depot must be opened. Mr Jacobs: Have they applied to the depot this morning? V Hunter: It is not open this morning. Mr Jacobs said the board was cooperating with the mayor’s relief depot. Nothing else could be done with the request made by the deputation yesterday until the board met on Thursday night. Hunter: These people cannot wait until Thursday. They cannot wait till to-morrow. They want it now. Mr Jacobs : You will have to see the mayor’s depot. Hunter: Mrs Black proved beyond doubt last night that she is not even out to try to help us. **.l cannot credit that, replied Mr Jacobs. , , Hunter: You cannot credit that. Three-quarters of an hour were spent in investigating the cases of tour women last night. Bo you think that was necessary? . Mr Jacobs; I am not going to question what Mrs Black did. We gran assistance to the mayors depot, and I am only carrying out the board s instructions. , . Hunter: Is anything to be done this morning? • , Mr Jacobs; Nothing from us. It was stated that there was no food in the depot to give out. A woman said that she had been given milk, a tin of jam, and a loaf of stale bread at the depot last night, bhe had five children to feed. After telephoning the depot, 3ir Jacobs said that the depot was no opened on Saturdays. Mrs M Intyre had informed him that yesterday some of the men had not collected their parcels, as they preferred to attend the demonstration. . Hunter said Mrs M Infcyre was Imrping on that subject last night. Only one or two men had failed to attend. After Mr Jacobs had said that he could do nothing, Proctor declared: “ Look here, Mr Jacobs, why bring out these individual cases ? I don’t see that you realise the seriousness of the situatloMr Jacobs: It is not any question of my considering the seriousness of the situation. -1 am only carrying out the instructions of the board, I am told that only one genuine case was put before the depot last night. Mr Paterson also tells me that some of the men did not call for their parcels dimug the "proctor said that business people, small shopkeepers, and employers workers had donated to the mayor’s depot for some weeks, but the relief given was totally inadequate tor the needs of the people. The unemployed were getting sick and tired of walking through the town, waiting in queues for hours, and then having to try to pay their rent and coal bills. In other centres the hospital boards had taken the responsibifity of giving orders He was instructed by the demonstration to say that they wanted orders. Mr Jacobs: That was put to the board yesterday, and it is useless to reiterate. Proctor; If orders were given they would materially assist the business Jacobs: That has nothing to do with you unless you are a business man. The position is that the board has taken up the matter in an emergency. Proctor: The mayor’s depot is not doing any good. “ Well, why don’t you go to the mayor?” asked Mr Jacobs. The board would not consider the question of the reissue of orders until Thursday. Personally, he did not hold out much hope for the orders being issued. « YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE.” Proctor: I am afraid the board does not realise the position. What are they going to do? We cannot be responsible for them,

Mr Jacobs: You are responsible foil bringing them here. Hunter: We are responsible for bringing them down here. They want tucker. If you don’t give us soma satisfaction what are they going to do?j Mr Jacobs told the deputation firmly, that no orders would be issued * He also informed them that the board had definitely decided not to give assistance to the young men who nad re* fused work. Hunter: You can give us no satisfaction P Mr Jacobs: None to-day. “ I don’t think you are very sympathetic towards us,” said Hunter. “ Yon do not realise the serious position or, you would do something in the matter. (To Sub-inspector Cameron) You, know that. It is up to them to act. The people out there want food. Wa are not here to cause trouble, but only, to ask for what we deserve. Sub-inspector Cameron: You will be responsible for this trouble. Hunter: I don’t mind that. I do not see why these people should nob get food. I put it to you this way, subinspector. Mr Cameron declined to argue with’ Hunter. “ I have, to go out and tell these men and women that there is nothing for them,” said Hunter. I am going to leave it to them, and yet I am going to be held responsible. They act on their own. Mr Jacobs: Wo can do nothing down here. Hunter; We assure you that we are going to keep at it all the time until we get orders. We are not going to wait till Thursday. The deputation then withdrew, and no report of the unsuccessful efforts was made until Mr B. O’Donnell had finished his speech. Hunter conveyed Mr Jacobs’s reply to the crowd. He said he would “ leave it to you people. What you decide to do I will do.” “We want Jacobs,” was the cry, but it was not answered. HELP FROM RETAILERS AND WHOLESALERS. Through the efforts of Messrs Gilchrist and Hunter a committee was formed to approach various retail and wholesale establishments and request that food to carry the unemployed over the week-end should be sent into the Tabernacle in King street. This decision was arrived at only after the crowd was assured that the endeavour to get the Hospital Board orders would not be abandoned. A procession, headed by the members of the committee (Messrs Gilchrist, Hunter, and O’Donnell) and men carrying a placard was then formed, and the crowd moved up Hanover street to the office of Messrs Irvine and Stevenson. Here the request was complied with, and a canvas < f various shops along town followed, the premises visited including butchers and grocers. In every case bub one promise of assistance was given, the mam reason for the refusal in the exceptional instance being that £2O in all had been given by the firm for the relief of distress during the past two days. The procession along town was quite orderly, but ‘ Solidarity For Ever, ’ and ‘ The Red Flag ’ were frequently sung. After some of the wholesalers in the neighbourhood of Crawford street had been successfully visited thought was given to the women of the'gathering, and, with the object of procuring meals for them calls were paid at a number of restaurants. Early in the afternoon a large number of meals for men ;s----well as women were being provided in this way.