UGLY UNEMPLOYED RIOT IN DUNEDIN

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 194, 9 April 1932, Page 5

UGLY UNEMPLOYED RIOT IN DUNEDIN

(Press Assn.-

mayoress assaulteid DEMONSTRATORS DEMAND ALtERATIO^ TO RELlfer SYSTEM % WOMEN LEAD DISORDERS

-By Telegraph— Copyrlght).

DUNEDIN, Friday. Ugly scenes occurred in Dunedin to-day, when a large number of unemployed, after interviewiing the local unemployment committee, marched to , the hospital board offices in the afternoon when representatives Waited on the board to ask that the Mayor's relief depot be closed down and that the board distribute mosney-orders as it has done hefore. The confererice iasted 1| hours. The speakers, Mr. G. Geddes, Mrs O'Rorke, and Mr. T. Hunter, condemned the present system of relief as degrading and demanded a return to the orders, Mr. Geddes said they were determined to have them, and if nothng was done they were going to use force. The chairman of thei'b.oard, Mr W. E. S. Knight, said he could not do anything until the next meeting of the board. The board was sympathetic, but simply had not the money. In the mea,ntime, a large crowd had been waiting outside singing the "Red Flag" and othef militaht songs, and announeed, manifestations of dissatiswhen the result. of the coiiference was action were made.

Women with Prams Headed by four women wheeling perambulators, over 300 personS formed a procession and . marched to the relief depot, and waited for about 1S hours. The Mayoress, Mrs Black refused to give relief indiscriminately, stipiilating that the person must give his or her address and that each case must be investigated and dealt with singly. ■ This ineensed the crowd, who refused to accept the terms.

Women were prominent in the disturbance. At last one elderly woman consented to give an address, but she was jostled so much bji the other women that she fainted and the Mayoress took her away in a taxi. Mayoress' Taxi Stopped At the corner of St. Andrew and George Street, the taxi was stopped by a crowd of unemployed, and an unsuceessful effort was made to pull Mrs Black out. The door was opened and the car was tilted over on two wheels ,but eventually it was allowed to proeeed. About flve p'cloek the crowd left the depot and tbe police relaxed their guard, naturally thinking that the demonstration had broken up. Later, however, women demonstrators returned and the windows of the depot were ! smashed with stones. Mrs Black was communicated with and undertook to return in the evenng and distribute relief and the crowd dispersed. In the evening several thousands were pres'ent singing the "Red Flag" and 30 of the most urgenti cases were dealt with and a promise made that further cases would he dealt with tomorrow. The crowd remained until a late hour in a distinctly hostile mood, dissatisfied with the arrangements.