NOT SERIOUS

Southland Times, Issue 22487, 23 January 1935, Page 7

NOT SERIOUS

MR FORBES’S DELAY TACT OF POLICE A HELPFUL FACTOR CROWD’S DEMANDS (Per United Press Association.) Christchurch, January 22. The incident in the Government Buildings last evening, though it had the appearance of being accidental, looked like an attempt on the part of some of the unemployed to delay the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes) while on ’his way to farewell the Duke of Gloucester. The delay, however, was not serious, and Mr Forbes was able to take part in the official ceremony. The Prime Minister had agreed to meet a deputation of five at 4 p.m., and he kept his promise, hearing their demand for an immediate increase of 10/— per week to all relief workers and an ultimate increase to 14/- per day on all standard works. He gave his promise to investigate the position immediately he returned to Wellington. This promise was accepted by the deputation, which withdrew just before five o’clock.

Five minutes later, as Mr Forbes was about to leave the building, a crowd of nearly 300 men and half a dozen women swarmed into the main passage on the first floor, blocking the stairway. Despite the efforts of the leaders of the deputation the crowd would not remain silent, and a voice moved that the Prime Minister should get into touch with the officials of the Metropolitan Relief Association and order the issue of rations at once.

Mr Forbes explained that he had no power to order the expenditure of local funds, but he agreed to get in touch with the officials. Mr Forbes could not communicate by telephone with the Mayor or the chairman of the Metropolitan Relief Association, but he wrote a letter asking that assistance be given to necessitous cases.

In the meantime Inspector Alan Cameron, Senior-Sergeant J. Fox, and half a dozen policemen had arrived, the constables being left outside the building. When the contents of Mr Forbes’s letter were announced the crowd filed quietly out of the building, permitting Mr Forbes to precede them. Little notice was taken of the police, whose tact in keeping out of sight was a factor in maintaining the peaceful nature of the proceedings.