STATE OF SIEGE.

Wairarapa Age, 14 August 1930, Page 5

STATE OF SIEGE.

INVASION OF PARLIAMENT HOUSE. UNEMPLOYED DEMONSTRATION. PRIME MINISTER WANTED. WELLINGTON, August 13. A party of unemployed who sought an interview with the • Prime Minister (the Hon. G. W. Forbes) thronged one of the vestibules of Parliament House to-day. The deputation arrived at about 11 a.m. and crowded into the Bowen Street entrance. The Prime Minister was engaged all the morning with a sitting of the Public Accounts Committee of the House, but Mr. R. Semple, Labour member for Wellington East, made an appointment for the deputation to return at lunch time on Friday. The Prime Minister regretted he would not be able to see them until then. The deputation immediately resolved itself into a meeting. One of their number, addressing the gathering as “comrades,” moved that they refutedl the right of Mr. Semple to make anw arrangement for them to meet thet Prime Minister and this was seconded" and declared carried unanimously. The seconder then reminded his “comrades” that they had previously decided not to leave the building until they had seen Mr. Forbes. “It is up to every man to show his pluck and manliness and stand here until we do see him,” he declared. The meeting silently acquiesced, and watched over by a small party of police, they settled down to wait, being addressed meanwhile, at intervals, by one or two speakers who appeared to be the leaders of the deputation. About 1 o’clock the meeting passed a motion of picketing the building in the hope that they would be able to intercept the Prime Minister. About 1.30 p.m., several members of the Labour Party approached the delegation and endeavoured to secure from them a statement that they were willing to participate in the unemployed deputation which was arranged for Friday. This the unemployed declined to do, the objection being that the deputation had been arranged by organised labour which, it was held, had done nothing to assist those who were in need of work. Mr. W. J. Jordan (Manukau) protested that members had' been active in stating the unemployed’s needs. Mr. Sempl<. endeavoured to explain that the. Prime Minister was fully booked until Friday morning, but the announcement was received with jeering. The Labour member for Napier (Mr. W. E. Barnard) asked members of the delegation whether they would be prepared to participate in th. deputation on Friday and the reply to this was that they were tired of taking part in labour deputations. After some r discussion the members of the delegation agro l 1 ‘ 1 their case to Mr. F. i nr lucmli. •: for Waimarino, and Mr J. F. Hogan, Independent member for Rangitikei. The demonstrators, after listening to Mr. Langstonc, dispersed.—'(P.A.)