"ARE YOU A WORKER?"

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20022, 12 February 1927, Page 13

"ARE YOU A WORKER?"

MINISTER AND COMMUNIST. A CHRISTCHURCH INCIDENT. (Special to Daily Times.) CHRISTCHURCH, February 1L “Are you- a worker?” asked the Minister of Industries and Commerce (the Hon. A. D. M'Leod) of a member of a deputation of unemployed men which waited on him this afternoon to ask for assistance in the direction of relieving their position. “Look at me,” said the man addressed (Mr S. H. Fournier), well known for his Communistic utterances, lifting up his arms and showing the palms of his hands. “ Isn’t all the evidence in favour of it?” “ All the evidence is against it,” answered the Minister, who suggested that Mr Fournier looked uncomfortable. “ Oh well, you have the power,” he said, “ Do you allege that I am not a worker?” “ Yes,” answered the Minister, bluntly. “ Did you install yourself as chief speaker?” “No,” was the response. “I was appointed by the workers to speak to you.” “How many of them?” pressed the Minister, “ Thirty or forty of them,” said Mr Fournier. The Minister said that sometimes the least worthy spoke on such occasions. He was not satisfied that Mr Fournier represented the unemployed. “Then I am a liar?” asked Mr Fournier. “ If the cap fits you can certainly wear it,” said the Minister, dryly. Mr Fournier claimed that he represented the genuine workers, but the Minister did not appear to be convinced that such was the case. “Do you ay I am not a genuine worker?” asked Mr Fournier. The Minister answered in the affirmative, and stated that it was a waste of time listening to Mr Fournier, who at length sat down, another unemployed man taking his place. The Minister was asked to use his influence with his colleagues in Cabinet with a view to granting the hospital boards a subsidy so that they could give a greater measure of (assistance in the issue of rations. The peaker alo requeted the Minister to do his best to secure permission for an art union to be conducted for unemployment relief. To the latter request Mr M’Leod stated that he was against art unions that were run in such a manner that only about 20 per cent, of the money raised from them went to the people who should receive it. There had been too many of these in the past in New Zealand. It was suggested that the Christchurch Unemployment Committee might be induced to conduct such an art union. The Minister promised to look into the matters put before him.