Force of Police

Grey River Argus, 1 April 1932, Page 5

Force of Police

SENT TO HUNTLY. UNEMPLOYED DEMONSTRATE. (Per Press Association). AUCKLAND, March 31. In view of threatened trouble at Huntly among the relief workers, a sergeant, four constables and two detectives, were despatched from Auckland this morning to Huntly. The total number of police now in the town is 11,

All the relief work has been declared “black.”

A number of unemployed were detailed yesterday to clear the railway line of gorse and scrub in the central part of the town for relief wages of 12s per day. Yesterday worning the Committee of the Unemployed met and refused to let men work on that job unless they were paid the railway surfacemen ’s wages of 14s per day. This work is included on the black list.

About 160 men arc reported to have demonstrated yesterday and to-day. Efforts have been made to stop men from working on relief jobs. A report this morning stated that a procession of men walked four miles to Whangape and persuaded six Maoris on a relief work there to cease work. j The Rotorua express was specially : stopped at Huntly this morning to set down a police party from Auckland. All drainage and swamp work in and around Huntly has been blacklisted by the relief workers, who state that this occupation is an unhealthy and uncongenial one. Over 200 unemployed men are affected by the trouble. No work has been done by them so far this week. HIGH TAXATION OF WAGES. DUNEDIN PROTEST. DUNEDIN, March 30. A combined meeting of the executives of Labour and civil service organisations unanimously carried a resolution opposing the Government’s futuile and depressing policy of endeavouring to balance the Budget by reducing wage s and salaries, thereby further depressing industry ar. 1 ac-

eentuating the already desperate un employment problems.

The resolution added:—“We are not prepared to sacrifice the natural rights of our wives and children to a sufficiency of the necessities of life for the experiment of legislators who appear ignorant of even the elementary laws of economic science. We know that the country cannot regain equilibrium so long as industry is being checked and business stifled, and we are prepared to use every means in our power to defeat the insane policy that for party purposes, and against the country’s interests, is being prosecuted by the Coalition Government.”