HUNGRY MEN

Southland Times, Issue 22486, 22 January 1935, Page 5

HUNGRY MEN

STAIRS BLOCKED

PRIME MINISTER’S EXIT STOPPED

FOOD DEMANDED

(Per United Press Association.)

Christchurch, January 21 Claiming that they were hungry and in immediate need of food, nearly 400 relief workers blocked the stairs of the Government Buildings this afternoon when the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes) wished to leave after hearing a deputation from the Canterbury Unemployed Workers’ Association. The situation was embarrassing for Mr Forbes, as he was due at Lyttelton to take part in the official farewell to the Duke of Gloucester at Lyttelton. It was 5 p.m. when he first attempted to leave the building and he left at 5.40 p.m. accompanied by Inspector Cameron, of the Christchurch police, and Sergeant Harrison. In the meantime, Mr Forbes, at the request of the men, had made fruitless attempts to communicate with the Mayor, the Deputy-Mayor and the chairman and members of the Metropolitan Relief Association, but none could be reached by telephone. Mr Forbes then wrote a letter addressed to the chairman of the association, the effect of which was that there was a crowd of relief workers in the Government Buildings who declared they were hungry and in need of immediate relief. He asked the chairman to distribute to the men any food or money available for the relief of distress, as it was the desire of the Government that no person in New Zealand should starve. On this being communicated to the men they made way for Mr Forbes to go to the lift and leave the building. Then, after a brief meeting at the head of the stairs, they decided to go to Latimer Square, while their leaders, armed with the letter, tried to procure rations.

The crowd was at all times perfectly orderly and made no menacing gestures, but their mere presence effectively stopped Mr Forbes from leaving the building. This was the openly declared intention of some of those in the crowd. One woman, planting herself at the .door of the office in which Mr Forbes was, said: “I have got kiddies starving at home. He won't get awav unless he does something.” While the crowd was waiting and while Mr Forbes tried to communicate with the Mayor and others, the party in the crowd sang several verses of the Red Flag.

CAMP SCHEME

UNION’S PROTEST.

(Per United Press Association.)

Wellington, January 21. A statement issued by the National Union of Unemployed says: “A matter of grave public moment is the Unemployment Board’s determination to compel married men to accept the Public Works Department’s camp work at what the Administration describes as standard wages, namely, 10/- per day, less time lost through “wet weather, etc.” The statement says: “The board has commenced to enforce this policy at Ohai, Southland, where 30 men have been deprived of work near their homes and ordered to proceed to a Public Works camp job, 40 miles distant. These men have refused to recognize the right of the Government to compulsorily draft men away from their families, apart from a grave national emergency. The executive of the National Union has been endeavouring with the Government and the Unemployment Board to secure the abandonment of the policy. Mr W. Bromley, deputy-chairman of the board, had stated that if unemployed men refused to accept this work they would be debarred from further relief. When requested to offer camp work to single men at the same rate and conditions he declined, stating that if the Public Works Department decided to accept single men for work the board would reduce the subsidy on wages to the lower level compatible with the lower single men’s rate. The National Union contends that in insisting on married men accepting this camp work against their will, the board is endeavouring to establish the evil principle of compulsion in the relationship of the employer to the employee. The work would be directly beneficial to pro-perty-owners in the localities to be improved and they are quite capable of bearing a portion of the cost which would ensure the family a living wage.”