HELD UP FOR FOOD

Evening Star, Issue 21934, 22 January 1935, Page 3

HELD UP FOR FOOD

PREMIER DETAINED IN BUILDING WOMAN GUARDS OFFICE DOOR JPkk United Press Association.) . CHRISTCHURCH. January 21. Claiming that they were hungry and in immediate need of food, nearlv 4UU relief workers blocked the stairs ot the Government buildings this afternoon when the Prime Minister (Mr i'orbes) wished to leave after hearing a deputation from the Canterbury Unemployed Workers’ Association. Ihe situation was embarrassing for Mi Forbes, as he was due at Lyttelton to take part in the official farewell to the Duke of Gloucester at Lyttelton. Jt was 5 p.m. when he first attempted to leave the building, and he left at 0.40 p.m., accompanied by Inspector Cameron, of the Christchurch police, and Sergeant Harrison. In the meantime Mr Forbes, at the request of the men, had made a fruitless attempt to communicate with the mayor, the deputy-mayor, and the chairman and members of the Metropolitan Relief Association, but none could be reached by telephone. Mr Forbes then wrote a letter addressed to the chairman of the association, the effect of which was that there was a crowd of relief workers in the Government buildings who declared that they were hungry and in need of immediate relief. Ho asked the chairman to distribute to the men any food or money available for the relief of distress, as it was the desire of the Government that no person in Now Zealand should starve. On this being communicated to the men they made way for Mr Forbes to go to the lift and leave the building. Then, after a brief meeting at the head of the stairs, they decided to go to Latimer square while their leaders, armed with the letter, tried to procure rations. The crowd was at all times perfectly orderly and made no menacing gestures, but its mere presence effectively stopped Mr Forbes from leaving the building. This was the openly declared intention of some of those in the crowd.

One woman, planting herself at the door of the office in which Mr Forbes was, said: “ 1 have kiddies starving at home. He won’t get away unless he does something.” As the crowd was waiting while Mr Forbes tried to communicate with the mayor and others a party in the crowd sang several verses of ‘ The Red Flag.’