TO DEMAND DOLE

Taranaki Daily News, 16 January 1931, Page 7

TO DEMAND DOLE

RELIEF WORKERS’ MOVE DEMONSTRATIONS arranged RELEASE OF PRISONERS DEMAND UPON MINISTER BIG WELLINGTON MEETING By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Among many other decisions made at a mass meeting of workers iu the trades hall this evening was one by which all workers employed on certain city council works for three hours a day in return for bed and. meals refused to go to work to-morrow. They are to draw in all other men employed on these works who were not at the meeting this evening and at 2.30 to-morrow afternoon they are to assemble at the hospital to demand the same sustenance they would have received from the charitable aid board had they worked during the day. Another resolution passed provided for another meeting to be held on Sunday to make arrangements for a demonstration of unemployed on Tuesday when the Prime Minister returns to New Zealand. On January 23 unemployed arc to 1 attend the Magistrate’s Court in force when some prisoners will appear to face charges similar to those for which men were sentenced just before Christmas. A letter is to be written' to the Minister of Justice demanding their immediate release. Over 600 people were present this evening. ’ Tfie hall was full to overflowing and numbers of men crowded at the door, stood round the walls and sat on the floor in front of the platform. There was a number of women in the audience and some of them took part in the general debate. The chairman, Mr. J. Sanford, had difficulty in keeping order at times owing to interjections and general uproar caused by two and more speakers trying to address the audience at the same time.

The meeting resolved itself into an “unemployed organisation movement,” and elected a „ committee of fifteen to act as an executive. This committee was given a series of “demands” for attention, but its first “job” is the handling of the demonstration at the hospital to-morrow afternoon, for which it made what arrangements it could after the main meeting closed.