Mysterious Midnight Tryst Now Officially Abandoned.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19108, 28 June 1930, Page 11

Mysterious Midnight Tryst Now Officially Abandoned.

UNEMPLOYED BLAME MR S. FOURNIER FOR FAILURE OF PLAN TO RELIEVE DISTRESS.

THE mysterious midnight tryst which the unemployed were to keep to-morrow was officially declared off shortly after one o’clock to-day, after thorough arrangements had been made to ensure the complete success of the plan. “The whole plan is completely off,” a reporter was informed on enquiring at the headquarters of the Organised Unemployed and Relief Workers’ Organisation this afternoon. “It was a perfectly serious scheme to augment the funds for the relief of distress in the city, but Mr Fournier spoilt the whole thing,” the secretary said. “The men who signed up as willing to turn out are being notified that the whole scheme is off and we are telling them that they have to thank Mr Fournier for causing the whole trouble.”

No information was given to the reporter by the secretary as to the manner in which Mr Fournier had allegedly spoiled their plans, the secretary stating that that was a matter for the whole committee to deal with. From another source the reporter was informed that the plan was, as surmised on Thursday, to take the 260 men to the Canterbury Sports Depot to-morrow at midnight and form up in a queue, there to wait until the depot opened on Monday morning at nine o’clock, when the whole of the reserved seat tickets available for the second teet match were to be bought up and held for resale at a profit. Full details of the plan were not revealed to all the members of the committee of the Organised Unemployed, but a few of them were entrusted with the secret, and it is alleged that the failure of the scheme is due to the secret having leaked out. The Eccentric Benefactor. According to information given to the reporter by a well-known citizen who is a friend of the “eccentric benefactor,” the idea was to establish a “corner” in the seats in the new stand at Lancaster Park and to sell them at £2 or even £3 apiece, the whole of the grofit thus made to be evenly divided etween the Citizens* Unemployment Fund and the Organised Unemployed Committee’s fund for the relief of distress.

The main cause of the failure of the plan seems to be that the Rugby Union has decided not to open the booking plan for the auxiliary stand at Lancaster Park until next Wednesday or Thursday instead of Monday morning at nine o’clock as arranged. Had the Rugby Union not altered its plans it is possible that the •whole scheme would have come off according to schedule. “Profiteering” Excused. It was considered bv the “eccentric benefactor” that profiteering, if it could be called such, in tickets for the second test match would be justifiable provided the money made out of the transaction went to the unemployment relief funds. This man was prepared to advance all the money necessary for the purchase of the tickets and to pay out of his own pocket for the coffee and pies to be supplied to the men. relying upon the scheme proving a success. He coxisidered that little difficulty would be experienced in reselling the tickets at an enhanced price when the public realised that no individual was going to collect the profit. A total of 270 men from the registered unemployed signed up as willing to place themselves in the hands, of the organised unemployed in connection with the plan. These men had no idea what was in front of. them, but they showed their willingness to remain out in the open from 11.30 to-morrow night until released some time after nine o’clock on Monday morning. That itself is taken as an indication that the unemployed are anxious to do anything possible to help themselves.