“We Have Mob Rule in This Country "

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 113, 14 May 1941, Page 6

“We Have Mob Rule in This Country "

Serious Allegation Against Labour Union Officials COUNCIL CANDIDATE’S SENSATIONAL STORY Far Press Association. WELLINGTON, May 13. Allegations that following comment by him on the cumber of union secretaries on Labour tickets for the ljOcal body elections five trade union officials waited on him in his office, reviled him because he was a Jew, told him he was a money grabber, and demanded a written apology and for a time locked hdm in his office were made by Mr. H. L. Nathan, a Citizens’ candidate for the Harbour Board, addressing a meeting in the Kelburn tea kiosk to-night. Tho action alleged to have been taken by union officials was strongly condemned by the Mayor (Mr. T. C. A, Hislop) speaking after Mr. Nathan. “I intend repeating part of the speech I delivered at Wadesdown last Thursday evening,” Mr. Nathan said. ‘‘ In that speech I said: * I have gone through the nominations for the Labour Party for the Wellington City Council, Hospital and Harbour Boards* and I find included in the nominations eight union secretaries and two exunion secretaries who are candidates for the City Council, five union secretaries who are candidates for the Hospital Board and two union secretaries and two ex-union secretaries who are candidates for the Harbour Board. I want to know, and you ladies and gentlemen should also want to know, how can these Labour secretaries do justice to the city and ratepayers and have impartial minds* while they are under the dictation of their Labour unions. There is no doubt these secretaries only naturally have to bow to that authority in order that they can keep their employment. *

“How did some of these Labour union c *lcials react to this statementf I viU tell you. At 12.30 p.m. on Friday last I was rung up by a wellknown Labour union official who asked whether I would give him an appointment. I said I could seo him at 2.30 and he said he would bring another Labour union official along with him, but at 2.30 p.m. five Labour union officials arrived at my office. They shut the door behind them and immediately began to abuse me.

* 1 They called me the scum of the earth, reviled me because I am a Jew, told me that no Jew should hold any public position in this country, also that I was a money grabber, that I was not a producer like them, and that I ought to be at the war. ‘ ‘ Fancy my being told I ought to bo at the war at 62 years of age. I told them my only had just been fighting at the Battle of Olympus. One shook his fist in my face twice and demanded that I make a written withdrawal of the statement I made at Wadestown and a written apology. Another threatened if I did not withdraw and apologise in writing he would take steps to stop my travelling in steamers, trains and trams and would stop the delivery of meat, bread and milk to my hohse. At one stage one of them locked the door and locked me in my own office.

“I am glad to be able to tell you I refused to comply with these demands. Things have come to a pretty pass in New Zealand when a citizen standing for a public- office should be subjected to such treatment as this. I consider it in the interests and for the benefit of the public that the facts should be made known.”

i Mr. Nathan said he was not in a position to say any more about tho incident that night. “We have mob rule in this country,” he said, “and I had experience of 35 minutes of mob rule on Friday afternoon.”