TALK OF RELEASE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1551, 21 September 1912, Page 5

TALK OF RELEASE.

BY A LABOUR MEMBER. WILT, STAND SURETY. Another reference to the Wnilii strike, and especially to the imprisonment nf certain of tho strikers there, was made' ill tho llouso of Koprcseiilnlives yesterday. It was the Labour member for Grey Lynn who raised the question, mid ho thought Hint Iho imprisoned strikers should he nt once released from (,'aol. Mr. J. I'ljyne (Grey Lynn) asked tho Minister for Justice- whether he intended to take any steps in the direction of having tho men released from prison who hud been font to |»aoj in connection with the \Vaihi business. The Waihi men, ho said, had conducted n dignified peaceful strike, mid now they hail been convicted of an offence and sent to guol lwcause a curtain amount of curiosity had been excited by a number of new workers coming into llib town. It \yas only to be expected in a communit.r like Waihi, where strike was in thejair, that new workers should be followed about, There had been no contravention of tho law and no attempt at violoneo against free labourers. He contended that if the Magistrate had merely warned those 11:011 there would hnve been no fnrllipr trouble, lie put the question forward as a matter of uraency, Iwraure these men wern sent to eaol for a lung term, ami they, who had conducted their strike on quiet eilizenliko lines, had done no more than to protect against interference with their own industrial concerns-. Hβ did nut think tho law should interfere; wilh llirin. He believed that if the Minister would roloiise tho men Iliero wnild he no more, trouble at Waihi. The Hon. A. 1., llenlmiui sniil that lie would reply very briefly. 110 <lid not propose, as Minister for Justice, to recommend tlie Government to interfere, with Ihn proper ncimiuisfrntion of justice in this country. (Henr, hear,) Secondly, he weuld point out to the hon, gcntlcninu

that tho men to whom" ho had referred, mid who had been imprisoned in Mount Eden Gaol, had been found guilty of a broach of tho law, and ordered by n court to find sureties to keep tho pence, lie understood tho position to lx> that if the men imprisoned in gaol found the necessary sureties they would bo releatixl. jir. Payne: 'J'hcy can't find them. (Government 'protests.) Mr. llcrclmnn said lio understood that every possible facility had been given t« Ihes'n men to find sureties. Tho magistrate who had tried them had offered to accept their fcllow-workers as -sureties..' If tin lion, gentleman was prepared to stand nf, surety for theso men no doubt they would bs released. In tho meantime lio did not propose In recommend the Government tc interfere in any way with tlio proper administration of justice. Jlr. Fityno said that lie would at onc<s telegraph to the authorities at Auckland offering to stand surety for the men in I ' r jlr' n, G. W. Russell (Avon) asked whether these men, if they did not find sureties, would be detained in prison for the full period of twelve months. Sir. 'llerdmnii ,snid that if the question wero put on tho Order Paper it would bo answered. He deemed it inexpedient to go,further into the matter at that time.

Mr. Russell said that ho had not iutendort to entrap the Minister in any way. Hβ had put tho question, as a layman, io ft gentleman who was not only AttorneyGeneral, but a distinguished lawyer.