"PUSH US TO FRONT"

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 82, 27 November 1931, Page 5

"PUSH US TO FRONT"

(Press. Assn.-

UNEMPLOYED YOUTH QUESTION MR COATES AT TIMARU CONDITIONS IN CAMPS

— By Telegraph — Copyright) .

TIMARU, Thursday. The Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates visited Temuka to-day, paying a visit to the insulator works, where the position regarding the Government subsidy was placed before him. He later addressed a meeting of the unemployecb explaining what the Unemployment Board was doing in its endeavour to meet the situation. In the afternoon Mr. Coates addressed a large gathering of electors, his speech being along- the lines of those of other centres. Mr. Coates was accorded a vote of thanks. Later Mr. Coates visited Timaru and gave a brief address, at the conclusion of which he was questioned by a young man who was evidently acting as spokesman for three youths who recently returned from the Lindis Pass camp for the unemployed. The man said he had recently returned from the camp and had just received a bill for 4/6 for tobacco and an intimation that he would be sued if it were not paid by December 1. How could he pay when he had not received his wages for the work done at the Pass? Mr. Coates took the bill from the man and commenced to examine him about it. Young man: I received only 7/- a week in wages. Mr. Coates: Not wages. It was never intended to be a wage. Continuing Mr. Coates said that the men at the camp were well provided for and received 10/- a week as payment. He strongly advised the men to go back to the camp, telling them it would do them no harm. In the meantime he appealed to the men to make the best of the difficulties that the country was in. After a good deal of questioning the chairman informed the meeting that Mr. Coates had to leave and asked them to cease. "Then you will push us to the front in the next war," said another member of the unemployed. "We will be tho first to go/, and then we will be out of the way. That is what happened to the last men who went. The first never came back." Mr. Coates: Push again? If you knew your duty to your country there would be no need to do that. I was at the front and was never the last over the top. So that's that. (Applause) . Mr. Coates then left the stage accompanied by applause. He later left for the Waitaki hydro-electric works and Waimate.