Protests Endorsed

Manawatu Times, Volume LIX, Issue 7472, 24 May 1934, Page 7

Protests Endorsed

Workers Have Crowded Meeting NEED FOR UNITY URGED Following upon the relief workers’ demonstrations of Tuesday _ and the prominence they gave to their cause as a result, there was a crowded Opera House last evening when occasion was taken to endorse the action of the men in protesting against compulsory camps. A resolution was also carried demand ing the restoration of cuts and, failing work, full sustenance. The chairman was Mr J. Flavcll, who commented on the need for unity if the workers desired to win out. He read a letter from the Mayor (Mr A. E. Hansford), who said he was' against compulsory camps and trusted .that the meeting would be a successful one. The Palmerston North branch of the It.S.A. also forwarded a letter pointing out that it had registered its protest against compulsory camps. A communication from the Hikurangi unemployed on strike was also read. It stated the strike was a 100 per cent, one and the men were determined.

Mr R. Lee, president of tiio AntiCamp Council, the first speaker, dis-, cussed the value of health camps to which relief workers’ children were being sent. The other camps, those for married men, were in complete contrast —slave camps. He believed they could successfully demand the abolition of the men’s camps and the condition of the workers could also be so brightened that there would lie no need .for the children’s camps. He issued a call to the unemployed to support the AntiCamp Council, and to citizens generally to get behind the mfn. Mrs Frank Lee urged tno women to fght against camps. They must not allow the authorities to compel the men to go and thus break up the homes. Every woman liked to see her husband enjoying the comforts of hia home, comforts he would not get when in camp. Again, the men were needed at home to share the responsibility of bringing up the children. The spcakei said she had started active participation in the recent demonstrations when her husband had received notice to go to camp, and she intended to keep on lighting hard. She urged all womenfolk to join hands in a united front in this matter.

Mr J. Hodgcns, going over the events of the evening before when the workers had approached the Prime Minister, said they had found that when they Vent into conference they discovered that Mr Forbes knew less about the position than the least members of the deputation. It would be a soiry day for New Zealand if they allowed the Unemployment Board to carry out its camp policy. The drudgery of the past generation should not be tolerated in these days of harnessed power and especially when New had food 8-nd the ' other necessities of life in abundance. The Government was practically saying that a man had nought jto bo married, and they were going to see that they were separated by sending the husband to camp. If the people of New /^c aland had the country at heart, they would sec that the Government was changed. (Cheers and applause.) Referring to the deputation to Hon. A. Hamilton, the speaker wondered what the Minister thought when he read that, the Prime Minister had turned his "no” into a “yes.’’ (Laughter.) There was absolutely no division of opinion among the workers of Palmerston North on the matter of the camps—they were definitely not going to camp. (Cheers and applause.) It' the Government was determined to send the men there, then the Government •would have to take -the responsibility.

Mr F. C. AlVerby said the cause of Ihc unemployed was also the cause of those in work, and all should join in one'big demonstration. This was no time for platitudes —the matter was a serious one, and the workers must o:ganise and stand together. The speaker pointed out that the average tradesman on standard wages paid £l3 Us 4d in unemployed taxation, the Unemployment Board shout'd have any amount of money to pay better sustenance. He believed that if task work was cut out and sustenance paid at standard rates of pay, there would be considerably less unemployed in New Zealand. Even the lowest-paid women working in hotels had to pay £6 5s Sd in wages .tax. He also appealed for unity. Mr G. Gulliver added the protest of the Terrace End branch of the Labour Party and declared that the Unemployment Board was using despicable methods. He, as a South African war veteran, had been ordered to camp. He pointed out that half-sustenance meant a loss of £SOO per month to the tradespeople of Palmerston North. The speaker instanced the case of a relief •worker ordered to. camp who had six children. How could the mother of that family possibly carry on without the support of her husband? There was another case of a man ■nho had children at home and his wife in hospital. Could he go? Mr Oliver, of Fcilding, declared that 'the people of New Zealand were just Ttow only beginning to think as well as Hon. J. G. Coates. There was need for those men in work to realise- that the men unemployed wore just as human as they were, and the only difference was that the economic blow bad fallen on the one and not the other. It was up to the workers of New Zealand to unite. If the Government wanted to plant trees, why not do so on the hundreds of acres available along the sand dunes of the West Coast, where the men could be taken every day by lorry and brought back to their homes at night? The shops were full of goods, but the people had no- money to purchase them. Tlie business people of Palmerston North should realise that until' such time as the workers did get money into their pockets, prosperity would not return.

Mr E. O. Bund, vice-president of the Palmerston North Labour Party, said he was also privileged to speak on behalf of the farmers of New Zealand, among whom were some very active sympathisers. The speaker declared that an outstanding event in the crisis was the attitude taken by Mr Mans“l take off my hat to him in the

attitude lie has adopted. (Applause.) If only Parliament consisted of men of the calibre of Mr Hansford, you would not be having this meeting to-night.” (Applause.) Many farmers, though over-employed rather than under-em-ployed, as were the workers, received about as much for their labour, and many farming organisations were wun the unemployed in the stand they were taking. And strange to say, those farming organisations were really the stronghold of the voting power of the present Government. The Government had referred to its financial policy as a sound one, but he believed that if that so-called “sound policy’’ were abandoned, unemployment would cease. . The men had adopted the right attitude over the matters in dispute, and ho wished them success.

The chairman read the following resolution presented by the N.U.W.M.: '‘That this meeting demands that the camps be optional, and we further demand the restoration of cuts. Failing work, we demand full sustenance.”

Mr F. Lee spoke to the motion, stating that the N.U.W.M. not only demanded that the camps be voluntary, but also that all camps be abolished. (Applause.) They also demanded standard rates of pay or sustenance accordingly. There was no time to wait for the ballot box—the demands were immediate.

The motion was carried unanimously

The Vast, speaker was Mr L. Sim. He declared that after the reception the Prime Minister and Hon. Hamilton had received in Palmerston North on Tuesday, it would-lie a long time before they came back again. Not only was it necessary for the workers to think, but also to act—(applause)—and act unitedly. It was only by organised might that they would succeed. There was nothing phenomenal about unemployment under the capitalistic system. The» Communist Party in Russia had solved the problem—(applause)—and it could bo solved in New Zealand as well if the powers that be were brought to heel. Tuesday night’s victory was only a partial one—he had no illusions as to what Cabinet would do when it met to discuss the matter. Not for a moment did he think they would get what they had asked for, and they would yet have to walk on Parliament with renewed demands. It was decided to send a letter of sympathy and encouragement to the men on strike at Hikurangi.

A suggestion was put forward byMr J. Queenan t-hat a petition should be circulated among the citizens of Palmerston North by the Mayor, calling upon the present member (Mr J. A. Nash) to resign, “and so break the first link in the chain of gangsters,” as the mover put it. Mr IV. F. Cutler asked: Why strike at one member? Why not do the job properly and express no-confidence in the present administration and demand an appeal to the electors? Mr Sim pointed out that all the petitions in the world would get them nowhere—the Government would take no notice of them; that had been the experience of the past. They would got nowhere except by direct action. Mr Hodgens stated in reply that the workers had their constitutional method

of getting their rewards, and he had yet to be convinced that the power of the arm was the right one. Mr R- Lee appealed to the workers to remember they had to fight. Mr Allerby appealed for unity on the anti-camp protest and thought it would be advisable for the movers of the motions to withdraw them so as to gain that end.

The chairman said he could not. ac cept any resolutions of a political nature, and the gathering dispersed.

Mr Forbes Denies He Made Any Concession

CABINET MEETING TO-DAY Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Last Night. An emphatic denial that he had made any concession to the unemployed at Palmerston North was made by' the Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes) when he was interviewed on his return to Wellington this evening. Mr Forbes said all he had told the deputation which had waited upon him was that its representations would be placed before Cabinet. Beyond that ho had not gone, except to state that the men would be allowed to make up the work they had Vest that day. He denied he had given an assurance that he was not in favour of camps, and stated that what he did say was that he was not in favour of compelling married men to go into camps, but that was his persoial opinion. “I want it to bo understood that I merely stated that the representations made to me would be placed before Cabinet.”

The Prime Minister added that Cabinet would meet to-morrow and its decision would be made known to Palmerston North as soon as possible.

Kept His Hat On ME. BROMLEY SAYS HE WAS NOT MOLESTED. WELLINGTON, May 23. "It is not fair to the crowd in Palmerston North to have put a statement through the Press Association that I left my hat in the hands of a demonstrator,” said Mr. Bromley to a reporter to-day when referring to yesterday’s demonstration. "Then no attempt was made cither to molest me or take my hat. For a demonstration the crowd was as orderly as one could expect under the circumstances. I had my hat on all the time the Minister was speaking and never took it off, nor did anybody attempt to take it off.”

Minister and Mr Bromley Pass Through Palmerston

Hon. A. Hamilton (Minister for Employment) and Mr W. Bromley, a member of tho Unemployment Board, passed through Palmerston North last night en route to Auckland. They were met at the station by Mr W. H. Cadwallader, local representative of the Unemployment Board.