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Grey River Argus, 3 May 1932, Page 6

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MINERS DEMONSTRATE Starvation Revealed (Per Press Association' WESTPORT. May 2. May Day celebrations were held in the mining communities today. About 200 miners’ wives and families came in from Millerton, and held a demonstration in Victoria Square, where addresses were delivered by members of the Miners’ Unions in reference to the distress on Millerton, and by Execu five members of the Unemployed Union on the working class movement. One of the members lauded the Soviet Five Year Plan as an example on which the New Zealand industrial system should be built.

At 3.30 p.m. the workers’ delegates met the members of the Buller Hospital Board at a special meeting at the Town Hall, and urged that further relief be given owing to the acute distress on the Hill.

In the meantime a large crowd dem oustrated outside, singing “The International” and “The Red Flag.” Becoming impatient, the crowd stormed the meeting inside the Town Hall, the demonstrators being led by women, who harangued the Acting-Chairman and the Board members, demanding food.

One of the women, in an impassioned appeal on behalf of the starving women and children, said that they must have relief or they would not be responsible for their actions. She fell in a faint on the table, but revived and continued her stormy appeal, supported by a pandemonium of cries and screeches from other demonstrators. Mr Clark. President of the Millerton Miners’ Union, addressing the gathering, stated that they had placed the matter in the hands of the Executive, and he therefore asked them to curb their impatience and retire for ten minutes while the delegates continued their conference with the Board. After further protests and cries of “We had no food to-day!” and “Our bellies are empty!” and threats of trouble if their requests woje not complied with, the stormy demonstrators withdrew. The conference was continued. The Board agreed to the issne of dockets to 75 applicants, for whom previous appeals had been made, and also agreed to deal with the other applications on their merits. Messrs Clark and Adams then addressed the crowd outside, stating the decision which had been arrived at,

and counselling the people to disperse , quietly, leaving whatever further aci tion was necessary in the hands of the i executive. The injunction was obeyed, the crowd dispersing. and later j leaving for Millerton in cars and buses, supplied for the occasion by. business people and others. A GREAT MEETING AT THE SQUARE. (Special to “Argus.”) WESTPORT, May 2. Th ee hundred miners from Millerton with their wives and families, demon st rated here to-day, when a great meet, ng a:t Victoria Square was addressed by several speakers. Later they invad ed the Hospital Board meeting and de. ma tided immediate relief, the proceedings being very lively. Women made impres>ione ( | speeches. All of the requests were acceded to by the Board. The demonstrators dispersed quiettly. London Communists ANTI-JAP. DEMONSTRATION. LONDON, May 1. May Day celebrations throughout Europe were practically without incident, London providing one of the few disturbances. A thousand Communists, alter speeches in Hyde Park, attempted io roach the Japanese Embassy, to pro test against the Japanese policy regarding Shanghai. They resented the police shepherding the process, so ai • tacked them with a volley of stones. The police charged with batons. Hand to hand fighting ensued n •which rbe banner bearers belaboured the poh-’c with banner poles. A police inspector was injured in the face by a broken bottle. Traffic in all directions was stopped for an hour. Thousands of pleasuto seekers stem peded when the fighting began, and a heavy rain storm added to the con

(fusion. Eight arrests were made. POLISH COMMUNISTS KILLED LONDON, May I. I Al Warsaw, two Communists were killed in a fight with the police a 1 Donibrowa. a local mining centre. MARCH AT TOKIO TOKIO, May 1. May Day at Tokio passed without incident. Twelve thousand marched ! »n procession escorted by five thousand police. QUIET IN FRANCE. PARIS, May 1. To-day was In France the quietest May Day for years. It was the dav of the general elections. Feeble Communist outbreaks with a score of ar rests at Bayonne, being the only dis

lurbances yet reported in the provinces. Even Paris’s “Red Belt” was peaceful except one man whs shot and another bludgeoned Earthquake shocks provided excite ment at Marseilles. SPANISH OBSERVANCELONDON, May 1. On May Day, in Madrid, work ceased everywhere, and the city was paralysed. The cafes, restaurants, shops, theatres and cinemas closed, taxig remained in the garage, newspapers did not publish, and broadcasting was suspended. The authorities forbade voluntary staffs working and prohibited private motors in the streets. Communists, demonstrating, attacked mounted police, flinging five off their horses. Armoured cars suppressed the rioting. Fifty arrests were made. The Communists at Cordoba, attacK|Od a church. The Civil Guard inter- | vened, killing a Communist and inju r ’mg several. : The police and Communists at Seville exchanged shots* Seven were * wounded. In America CELEBRATIONS IN BOTB • , CONTINENTS. - * 60.000 PARADE AT NEW YORK. (Ans 4NZ Cable AjwH * NEW YORK, May 1. • The traditional May Day or International Labour Day was celebrated >• to-day throughout the Western Hemisphere with unusual quiet, although demonstrations were held in many cities in the South Central AMeriean tst and the United States. There are as vet no reports of any serious trouble. Sixty thousand Communists and sympathisers paraded in e v York. Heavy rain kept many spectators away, but probably prevented clashes. A troop of three hundred • police kept the paraders moving. They also guarded the City Hall, and othe’ buildings. • The demonstrators carried demanding free rent, food and employ, ment, and denounced capitalism. As . May Day fell on Sunday, many o * the demonstrations in the United States were held yesterday (Saturday