MR PETER FRASER

Hokitika Guardian, 27 January 1932, Page 6

MR PETER FRASER

HOWLED DOWN AT MEETING. :by Telegraph—Per Press Association) WELLINGTON, January 27. Air P. Fraser M.P. was asked to address a mass meeting of relief workers last evening. He was given an attentive hearing until lie remarked that he did not want relief workers to tfcv.'-lop into an army of Eons led by asses. He was then howled down, counted out and not allowed to speak again. In a statement made subsequently, Mr Fraser sai-d he anticipated his view would he distasteful to tlie vueifierous section shouting for a general strike. He was quite prepared* :to I/a howled down. He wished to make it clear that the metaphor , was not applied to the relief workers of Hutt and Petone. He was speaking directly to a meeting of Wellington relief workers and was anxious to prevent them getting into the position described. He intended to deal with tlie Hutt—Petone trouble only to. tlie extent of expressing the opinion that the grievance arising from the dismissal of two men concerned was a real one and that ithe decision to c-arr.v out the Eastbourne water supply job under No. 5 scheme was wrong, and essentially on those two points the men were right. He intended to point out it was hopeless to attempt to help the workers involved! by means of a general strike of relief workers on quite other issues. He [intended to point out that tlie only people who would have been injured pv this course of action would have [been the relief workers and their Lives and families.