'GESTAPO METHODS'

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 21, 25 July 1945, Page 8

'GESTAPO METHODS'

DISPUTE OVER RAFFLE

CASE OF RATIONED GOODS

"I do not know what experiences you have down here, but I want to prove that there is a Gestapo in New. Zealand," said the Mayor of Palmerston North, Mr. A. E. Mansford, at the meeting of the Wellington Provincial Patriotic Committee today. "I want to enter a strong protest against the Gestapo methods adopted against the women controlling a patriotic job m Palmerston North. We have women there who started a shop shortly after the war, and in it they have raised something like £30,000 to assist patriotic affairs, war loans, etc. When rationing started, perhaps innocently, they were raffling rationed goods. They were disappointed an,d disgusted when the police came along. I went along and saw the new inspector of police. All. the trouble has started since we have had this new inspector. The trouble seems to be between the police and the Internal Affairs Department." ,'•■■' Mr. Mansford proceeded to read correspondence between himself and the Internal Affairs Department, commencing with the injunction that the women must immediately cease the sale of goods which were rationed. He replied that his committee was of opinion that it was not restricted under the' interpretation of the Act. The explanation was not accepted, and it was stated that permission to raffle patriotic goods in the district was cancalled. The women were much upset, and were inclined to close their shop, but in the end they agreed to the decision. The position was, he continued, that the' women were raffling rationed goods, blankets among them. The Department said that this must stop. His committee asked for an interpretation of what were rationed goods. Instead of replying to that, the women's raffling licence was taken away by the Department. They decided to accept the position . The pair of blankets over which the trouble arose, ticketed with the fact that they were to be raffled, had been displayed in another shop window" for some five weeks prior to the decision. It was pointed out to the police that these blankets had been displayed as definitely for raffle, and they had agreed to overlook that particular instance. The licence was theft reinstated. The next thing, within an hour of the blankets being placed, for sale in the patriotic women's shop, was a visit by the police, followed by another letter from the Internal Affairs Department wanting to know what ■was meant by the raffling of rationed goods in view of the undertaking given by the women, and demanding that it should stop. This notwithstanding the blankets had been previously displayed for weeks for raffle in a shop quite close to the police station, and tickets for them had been sold. . Mr. Mansford'.said he had wished the case-to, g0... to Court in. order to have the position in regard to the raffling of rationed goods cleared up, but instead of taking action against him as chairman of the committee the above course was taken. ' It was pointed out by Mr. J. W. Andrews, Mayor of Lower Hutt City, that in cases where the coupons for goods had been surrendered and the goods •were sold for patriotic purposes, there was no real infringement of the law. It was decided to approach the Minister of Internal Affairs for some elucidation.