HOLDING UP OF PRIME MINISTER

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 101, 23 January 1935, Page 10

HOLDING UP OF PRIME MINISTER

The Christchurch Incident CROWD REFUSES TO OBEY LEADERS By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christchurch. January 22. The incident at Hie Government Buildings last evening when the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, was prevented from leaving a room ’through the crowding of a stairway by some hundreds of unemployed, though having the appearance of being accidental, looked like an attempt on the part of some of the unemployed to delay the Prime Minister while on his way to farewell the Duke of Gloucester. The delay, however, was not serious, and Mr. Forbes was able to take part in the official ceremony. The Prime! Minister had agreed to meet a deputation of five at 4 p.m., ami kept his promise, hearing their demand for an immediate increase of .10/- a week for all relief workers and an ultimate increase to 14/- a day on all standard works. He gave a promise that he would investigate the position immediately he returned to Wellington. This promise was accepted by the deputation, which withdrew just before 5 o’clock. Five minutes later as Mr. Forbes was about to leave the building a crowd of nearly 300 men and half-a-dozen women swarmed into the main passage on the first floor, blocking the stairway. In spite of the efforts of the leaders of the deputation the crowd would not remain silent and a voice moved that the Prime Minister should got into touch with the officials of the Metropolitan Relief Association and order the issue of rations at once. Mr. Forbes explained that he had no power to order the expenditure of local funds, but he agreed to get in touch with the officials. Mr. Forbes could not communicate by telephone with the Mayor or the chairman of the Relief Association, but wrote ti letter asking that assistance should be given in necessitous cases. In the meantime Inspector Alan Cameron, Senior-Sergeant J. Fox, and half-a-dozen policemen had arrived, the constables being left outside the building. When the contents of Mr. Forbes's letter were announced, the crowd filed out quietly, permitting him to precede them. Little notice was taken of the police, whose tact in keeping out of sight was a factor in maintaining the peaceful nature of the proceedings.