TENSE SCENE IN HOUSE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 90, 16 April 1932, Page 8

TENSE SCENE IN HOUSE

ORDER MUST BE MAINTAINED GOVERNMENT WILL BE FIRM IN ITS ATTITUDE < t I t LEADER OF OPPOSITION ISSUES A WARNING ; i c 1 i Per Press Association, i WELLINGTON. April 15. I j There was a tense scene in the House of Representatives when the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, rose shortly t before midnight and referred to the serious rioting in Auck- 1 land. c Expressing regret for such a serious outbreak of law and 1 order. Mr. Forbes made it clear that the Government would t f not tolerate disturbances of this character, and added that the < authorities would insist upon the maintenance of law and order. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr. 11. E. Holland, claimed t that the disturbances, which he said migh mark only the be- t ginning of trouble, were the direct result of the Government’s ; 1 policy, and he appealed for a reversal of this policy before the J outbreaks spread. I

The Minister in Charge of Unemploy- f ment. Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, assured ; the H mse that nobody would starvj?. 1 and appealed for rhe assistance of I eve r y section of the House to meet *hp < situation. The Prime Minister said he f to inform the House that a 'fry seri- ' (iu* riot had taken place in Ajickk >d I curing the afternoon and evening I'here had been about 5000 in the i crowd, and a number of windows had ’ be n broken. Some looting also was < supposed to have taken place. Seven 1 members of the Police Force were in- 1 jured, three or four of the seriously, i A. considerable number of arrests had}, be made. Matters were now in hand.]: but a number of citizens in addition to i f the police had been injured, and a body 11 of citizens had come to the assistance I. of the police. Mr. Forbes added that he regretted there should be an occur . •<> such as < this in a country so celebrated as New i Zealand was for law and order. He would inform those who had taken < part, however, that law and order must be maintained. (“Hear ,hear,” from i the Government benches). The Leader of the Opposition (Mr. H. E. Holland): They are starving. It is the direct result of the Government’s policy. No Comment Sought. This interjection was accompanied by a chorus of approval from the Labour benches and of dissent from Government supporters. Mr. Forbes: 1 did not make any comment upon the action of the Labour Party, and I would ask that no comment be made from the Labour benches at a serious time like this. Air. W. J. Polson (Government. Stratford): They have no sense of responsibility. Mr. Forbes said, he appealed to all citizens to assist the police. The Government had every sympathy with those out of work, and his colleague the Minister in Charge of Unemployment were doing everything that was humanly possible to assist them. Mr. W. J. Jordan (Lab., Manukau,: If you cannot give them work, will you I feed them? Mr. Forbes said a Bill had recently been put through the House making additional funds available for this purpose. though the effects of the Bill had not been : ble to be felt. The position was only made worse by disturbances of this character, in which the premises of innocent citizens were broken into and considerable damage and loss entailed by destruction and looting. This would serve to alienate the sympathy that had been so abundantly shown to those who were out of work during the past two years. If there had been one outstanding fact during this depression it was the sympathy that had been shown, and the assistance accorded the distressed by every section-of the community. The people responsible for these disturbances must realise that while the Government was doing everything it could, it would not tolerate for one in- * slant disorderly outbreaks and the de- i st ruction of private property. The police were doing their duty, and • doing it well, and it was not right that in the execution of that duty they should be injured. That the Govern- j men would not tolerate. Air- W. E. Parry (Lab.. Auckland j Central): They will not tolerate star- 1 vation, either. | Mr. Jordan: Will von assure them | they will be fed during the coming | w inter? •Policy to Blame" Holland said the Prime Min ister bad taken advantage of the situation to make an attack on certain sections of the community, and he had dun it without the full facts of the position at Auckland before him. Everyone would regret the. disturbance and sympathise with those who had been injured. Surely the Government would now realise that the disturbance was the inevitable result of its policy. It was no good the Government saying it would not tolerate what had happened. Every policeman and every citizen injured was suffering as a direct -esult of the Government’s policy. Re jeated warnings had been issued from the Labour benches, and they had pointed to the “handwriting on the wall,’’ and asked the Government to shape a policy that would obviate occurrences of the kind. Men would not starve in the midst of plenty and see heir children going hungry when there #ere plenty of the things they needed, Jid the Government think that thinkng men would quietly stand by and tee their women and children starve in he midst of plenty? That was unthinkable. Every member on the Labour benches would stand for law and order, but the way to get that was to write laws in the interests of the country. He appealed to the Government to aban don a policy that was creating these disturbances. 4 ‘What has happened at Auckland and Dunedin,” said Air. Holland, “is the gathering of the storm. 1 and my colleagues wil] be more than pleased if we can believe that this is the end. but those of us who know anything of history know that such happenings are only the beginning of things.' ’ Use of Present Funds. The Minister in Charge of Unemployment. BL Hon. J". G Coates, said H»®t

a Bill was now before the Upper House i providing for the raising of more funds t by tho Unemployment Board, but in i rhe meantime the funds at the disposal * of the board were limited. i Mr H. G. R. Mason (Lab., Auckland s Suburbs): Surely the banks would ad- 1 vance you something for a week or I two. t Air. Coares said that even after the t Bill w’as passed the board’s funds t would be limited for a time. The Bill i contained the power to provide for all the unemployed, and tho next responsi- j bility was to provide against the state- - ments being made in certain quarters. ] He believed that much of the disturb- i ances were due to the declarations of some of the Labour members, although they could not be all included, in this. A small section of tho unemployed were known to the Labour members. ' Air. H. T. Armstrong (Lab., Christ- 1 church East): Is there sufficient food ' for the people of New Zealand? Mr. W. E. Parry (Lab., Auckland ' Central): That is the question. Mr, Coates said he believed that • some members had shirked their duty lin not telling the people of the country* the true position and the state of the funds available for unemployment relief. They were using the present position to place the blame on the ernmentLabour Voices: It is on the Government. Mr. Coates: The honourable gentlemen as citizens of this country elected by their fellow citizens have a responsibility. Labour Members: We recognise that. Mr. Coates: that places on them very definitely the obligation of saying what can and what cannot be done. Air. R. Semple (Lab., Wellington East): We have said that the people should be fed. Mr. Coates: The people will be fed. One must remember that to encourage men to leave work, such as it is, and the sustenance they may gain as the result of that work, is misleading completely. i Mr. W. E- Ba rr vard (Lab., Napier): That has not been done from this side of the House. Mr. Coates said many of the Labour members had been helpful, but a more straightforward and frank declaration of what was possible under the circumstances would be more helpful still. Members’ Responsibility. Air. Semple: Some uf us ha .: tried to keep them at their work. Air. Coates: That is correct. 1 take it that members on that side of ’hi House, then, advise the registered unemployed to stick to their jobs. Mr. Holland: We advise the Government to reverse its policy. Mr. Coates: We have heard much about “slave camps,’’ but the responsibility must definitely rest with Those men who urge these young fellows to leave these camps. As far as is humanly possible the Government will provide for an increase in the fun Is. land if we can maintain the detevmin- : ation on the part of the citizens ;n the ' meantime while conditions are difficult, i the best course will be follows 1- No one will be allowed to starve, that is i quite clear. Our organisation >s not ! all that it might be. but in a week or | so it- will be completed, j “There is still a responsible, uv I rhe part of local bodies and citizens to I come forward to help. It is wanted. ” I Air Coates said. “It is by means ot j co-operation on the part of all, and the I Labour Party too, that we will be able po avoid a serious position that .night arise. It is essential in the interests of everybody that law and order and de ceney should be maintained.” Air. Mason: The result mu< be there, not merely the effort. Mr. Coates: Some cases are frightfully exaggerated, and there is no ’ need for it. Mr. Parry said that had the Govern men* administered the original unemployment legislation in the way intended by the House the position that had developed at Auckland would not have arisen. The unemployed felt that rhe Government had not given them “a , square deal.” The only thing to do ’ wa to provide sustenance as originally ' intended- He regretted the occurrence . at Auckland, and he had appealed to ' his colleagues there not to do anything I > in defiance of the law. 'SHOULD BE A LESSON" ’ i MEMBERS RESPONSIBILITY ‘ i .. ~ ... WELLINGTON, April 15. ”1 trust that the occurrence will be a lesson to the members of rhe House and to the Government.” remarked e Air A. Harris (Government, Waitemata) in the House of Representatives this morning, referring to the AuckB land riot, “and that thev will rememr ber that to some extent they must . share the responsibility for disturo- [ ances of that kind unless they exercise u wisdom, forbearance, and knowledge of s humanity and its sufferings.” v '“After what occurred in Auckland , last night,” he said as a preface to his ; speech on rhe National Expenditure Adjustment Bill, “1 feel some diffi •culty in criticising the Bill before the I House in the way I should like. Every decent-minded citizen will deplore the

sabotage and lawlessness that took [dace, and will agree that such occurrences must bo handled with firmness, and yot with tact.” As an Aucklander he said he wished to express his appreciation of the action of the police, whom he regarded as a credit to the country, and his sympathy with those who. together with peacable citizens, ad been injured. “An cA?eurrencp such as this,” he continued, “should bring home to members of Parliament a realisation of their groat trust, and it should be u lesson to us that disturbances of that kind—fortunatolv very few in New Zealand—must be. and always will be. caused almost, entirely by legislation passed by the House. The responsibility for such disturbances may he laid at the doors of members of Parliament and the Government in connection with the action they are taking . . . T trust that good may come out of evil, and that this trouble may have the effect of causing the Government to pass legislation that will tend to discourage occurrences of the kind.” Example in Law-breaking I “We regret the lawlessness in Auck- | land, and the favt that innocent traders 1 will suffer to the extent of £100,000.” | remarked Air J. McCombs (Lyttelton), i “ but the lawlessness is entirely due to I rhe maladministration of the GovernI ment. which unfortunately set the example in law-breaking in connection with the law that sustenance should ne provided when work could not be found. It stoutly refused to administer that law, so that the Government, having openly flouted and defied the law. these Auckland people are only following the example of the Government. ”