POSSIBILITY OF STRIKE

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22506, 14 September 1938, Page 8

POSSIBILITY OF STRIKE

Employment of Maoris

INSTRUCTIONS TO WORK OUTSIDE PA [THE PRESS Special Service.] TEMUKA. September 13, In spite of an assurance given them by the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J, Savage) that they would be employed in the pa and would not be required to work elsewhere. Maori relief workers in the Arowhenua pa have been instructed by the Placement Service officers that one of their number must report for wqrk as a wool presser at one of the Temuka wool washes and that all single men would, in z month, be offered work on farms. Pending their refusal to report for work, they would be classed as voluntary unemployed. ' „ „ More than a week ago, Mr T. H Paiki, the chairman of the Maori runanga, was requested by the runanga to write to the certifying officer at Temuka (Mr F. Taylor) asking him to seek a definite ruling on the matter. Mr Taylor had written to Wellington, but so far no answer had been received, and the instructions had been issued by the local officers. The following is a telegram sent to the Prime Minister yesterday by Mr G. Rangi, secretary of the Arowhenua Maori Labour Committee: “In spite of your announcement at our recent banquet that the Arowhenua Maoris would be given employment in, and would not be taken away from the Arowhenua pa, officers of the Placement Service have compelled men to leave the pa and to take other jobs. The Maoris here are intensely dissatisfied and hotly resent this. We can only imagine that the placement officials are operating without your knowledge. We confidently look to you to instruct that your promises be fulfilled. The matter is urgent.” According to many of the men in the pa, if no satisfactory reply is received from the Prime Minister, there will be every likelihood of the men going on strike. Up to 10.30 last night, no answer to the telegram had been received.