TENSE SITUATION

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 5, 3 December 1932, Page 8

TENSE SITUATION

3.15 P.M. EDITION

PASSES OFF QUIETLY. POLICE PREVENT DEMONSTRATION. (By Telegraph.—Special to Standard.) WELLINGTON, Dec. 3. A situation fraught with danger was cleverly averted by the police in Wellington this morning when a move was made by the unemployed' to converge on Parliament Buildings. Although there were possibilities of nasty consequences, the whole affair proved to be the biggest fiasco in the history of the unemployed movement in Wellington. Elaborate arrangements bad been made during the past few days by the militant unemployed to demonstrate outside Parliament this morning, but every move was known to the police, who have had their plans perfected for days. The organisers believed they would have 10,000 men at their disposal, but a notice was issued last night by the police declaring any procession today to be illegal. Despite this, about 600 attempted to form a procession in Cambridge Terrace, the intention being to march through the city to Parliament. The whole of the police reserves had been mobilised from an early hour and immediately a procession seemed like gathering it was quietly broken up by the police, 'who had the leaders sorted out and removed them and their banners to a place where .they could do no harm. Between 300 and 400 men decided to carry on with the scheme by walking in groups along the pavement and congregating in front of Parliament, where they intended to hold a demonstration. The police sherpherded them all the way along the streets and every time a banner appeared the bearer was removed. One man appeared on Lambton Quay carrying a skeleton, but he and the skeleton went the way of the other leaders. By,the time they reached Government Buildings about a dozen of the leaders had been taken in charge. As soon as an effort was made to congregate in the centre of the Quay mounted, police shifted the mob back to the pavements, where, leaderless, they stood about in groups. The presence of thirty or forty policemen under Inspector Lander, with Commissioner Wohlmann in the vicinity, attracted a crowd of seiglitseers which grew to about 2000 at noon, a quarter of an hour after the concentration movement had begun. Anyone who attempted to address the mob was taken into custody and this was done efficiently and quietly, except in one case where there was a bit of a scuffle. Gradually the spectators departed and by 12.30 there were only, about 500 people in sight with a large force of police occupying all the strategical positions. The sight of a large bulge on each constable's hip and the long staves on the saddles of half a dozen mounted men who moved up and down kept the demonstrators in order and no serious effort was made to gather in a large group. One party or about a hundred met, but two constables quietly worked themselves into the centre and ordered their .dispersal. "With hardlv a murmur they shifted, knowing lull well that the two men who gave the orders had reinforcements all around them. For something like ten minutes or a quarter of an hour the situation was tense, no ono knowing what would happen, but by one o’clock there was only a ’ handful left. Meunwhilo about two dozen leaders had been taken in charge. While the crowd was outside the building Major-General Sinclair Burgess, General Officer Commanding the I New Zealand Forces, was inside, although it was not known whether his presence had anything to do with any situation which might develop. Although they were not seen it is understood that the police had warned a large number of special constables wlio were on duty after a riot of May 10 to again stand by.

FIAfE ARRESTS MADE. Per Press Association. AA’ELLINGTON, Dec. 3. In connection with the attempt to hold a demonstration, live arrests were made, tho charges being disorderly behaviour and breaches of the by-laws. The men will appear before a Magistrate on Monday. They are Roy Evans, John Janies Porter, Cha’les Thomas i Holden, AVilliam Harry Glndwyn and AVilkinson.