UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 April 1932, Page 5

UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF

DUNEDIN DEMONSTRATIONS

[PEE PBESS ASSOCIATION.]

DUNEDIN, April S.

Ugly scenes occurred in Dunedin today when a large number of unemployed, after interviewing the Local Unemployment Committee, marched to the Hospital Board’s offices in the afternoon, when its representatives waited on the Board to ask that the Mayor’s Relief Depot be closed down, and that the Board distribute money orders as it had done before. The conference lasted an hour and a-half 1 and the spokesmen, Mr. G. Geddes, Mrs O’Rorke and Mr. T. Hunter, condemned the present system of relief as degrading and they demanded the return of orders. Mr. Geddes said they were determined to have the orders, and if nothing was done, they were going to use force. The Chairman of the t Hospital Board, Mr. W. E. S. Knight, said he could not do anything until the next meeting of the Board. The members were sympathetic, but simply had not the money. In the meantime, a large crowd had been waiting outside, singing the “Red Flag” and other militant songs, and when the result of the conference was announced there were manifestations of dissatisfaction. Headed by four women, wheeling perambulators, over 300 persons formed a procession and marched to the relief depot. After waiting for about an hour and a-half the Mayoress, Mrs Black, refused to give any relief indiscriminately, she stipulating that each person must give his or her address, and that each case must be investigated and dealt with singly. This stipulation incensed the crowd, who refused to accept the terms. Women were prominent in the disturbance. At last one elderly woman consented to give her address, but she was worried so much by . the other women that she fainted, and the Mayoress took her away in a taxi. At the corner of St. Andrew and George streets, the taxi was stopped by another crowd of unemployed, and unsuccessful efforts were made to pull Mrs Black out. The door was opened and the car tilted over on two wheels, hut the car was eventually allowed to proceed.

About five o’clock the crowd left the depot, and the police relaxed their guard, naturally thinking that the demonstration had broken up. Later, however, the women demonstrators returned, and the windows of the depot were smashed with stones. Mrs Black was communicated with, and as she undertook to return in the evening and distribute relief, then the crowd dispersed. In the evening several thousand were present singing the “Red Flag.” Thirty of the most urgent cases were dealt with, and a promise was made that further cases would be f dealt with to-morrow. The crowd remained till a late hour in a distinctly hostile mood and plainly dissatisfied with the arrangements.