THE -WAIHI TROUBLE

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1603, 21 November 1912, Page 5

THE -WAIHI TROUBLE

DEPUTATION TO THE PREMIER* \ INQUIRY ASKED'FOR. i t ■ \ i ASSURANCE OF PROTECTION. . | (By Telegraph.—Press Association,) \ •! Auckland, November 20'.'..'! A deputation of men and women refu- i gees from Waihi was introduced to the ■ I'rimo Minister by Mr. Glover, M.P., this*' morning. • - ■ ..'■■.. i The first speaker was Mr.' Fraser, who i said that at Hie present time there were.; 1800 people, men, women, and children, \ who had been driven out of Waihi. These 'j people had left for sound and substantial-' reason, a2id their representatives were ' present as a deputation, to put their case.' before the Prime Minister. 'Their main! object in, coming forward was to ask for! a commission of inquiry in regard to the- 1 recent riots, and to ask for an assurance -i of safe' return for those who had been'terrorised into leaving the' town. There! were, people in Auckland who had been-! driven out of Waihi who could produce i written notices served upon thorn to get '■'! out of Waihi at 12 or 21 hours' notice, or : take the consequences. There wero people J who were, willing' to mqke statements on ; oath that they had never used violence, j and yet had themselves been beaten and i assaulted in the very presence of'the'' police. They'wanted to know the .why ! and tkewhercfor of all this. ..Why, with i the connivance of the police, a reign. of 4 terror had been instituted at Waihi? ; Several members of the deputation j spoke. • j The Prime Minister, in reply, said : he ; had listened attentively to their grievances '-• and requests. Their complaint was; that 2 a number of people had woken the law ! by intimidation and assault. It was the j Government's duty to see that the scales ■• of justice were held evenly. If a man i broke the law, whether he be.'n fedora- i tionist, arbitrationist, or of. any other'; class, he would' have to be dealt with "j without discrimination. The deputation's | second complaint was that the police had ! either exceeded or evaded their duty. ; 'As they knewhe did. not ■ hold' the j portfolio of Minister for Justice, ; but he would promise to urgo Mr. Herdman to have this inquiry made,'and die ! thought that his colleague, would'readily ■ acquiesce. The inquiry would go' fully ; into every point. On the other question. l concerning the assurance of protection, he'-j could say that they were quite safe' in'":' going back to Waihi if they themselves ' were willing to observe the law. •--,-. '~; "Now," added the-Prime Minister,. "I .think I have given you both things" you; : asked for." ..;■. . ■.-'-"' .; Mr. Fraser: Seventy.men have been' in-\ dividually warned out of Waihi, and afraid to go back. •■'..•,■ .';'.'■'.' Mr. Massey: lean only-,repeat what I ' have said. So long as they attempt no'.; intimidation and commit no offence the j police, will protect them.' . ... Mr. M'Lennan (vice-president of the. j Waihi Union): Ton say ,so long..as we do | uot commit a breach of the peace.' Sur> pose one of our men lost his temper, and : called a worker a "scab,". would; the ' police protect him from.the mob? '■ Mr. Massey: Tlie word "scab" is a' very ; objectionable one. It is defined legally ■ as a word likely to cause<-a.breach'of the..'' peace. If the people of Waihi will drop - : .i such tactics I/do not think it will bo'., long before the 'whole trouble there - ends' 'i v in a satisfactory settlement. -..; Go back'to , Waihi and cease the use of such tactics. •; Iu any case, as I luvvo said,'the law will ; deal with offenders. . ■ •- '■ ": Mr. J. Thorpe: I was one of seventy- j six served with notices to quitWaihi.and < warned, if I valued my life, never to go ■ baok to-Waihi;"'? I have property there, j What about me?,•,'-.; Mr. Massey:'So long as you keep, withr ~ in the law I see no reason why you .should not go back to Waihi. / Mr. Fraser thanked the Prime Minister, ; and the deputation withdrew. . • '' ■•■■ : " {■ - ■_;.-. ■ ... . I THE INQUEST. ■■■'■$^'J{ STATEMENT,BY THE'COEONER.'■'..'' ! ; (By Telegraph.-Pross Association.): ■ . i Waihi, November 20. ■; On the inquest on Frederick George.'! Evans resuming to-day. the Coroner made ' a statement, saying his attention had been,-;-drawn to a matter which hnd materially j affected the inquest and his status as : Coroner. The matter which ho, referred-! to was a statement .published'in 'newspapers of.the Dominion:to tho-effect:,; that lie had been openly accused of being ,■.-; implicated iii the organisation of.the new.j union. He took the opportunity of giv- ; ing the statement an emphatic denial, j He had never been • accused openly, or , ! otherwise, with having organised the new union, aud ho never had the. slightest ; connection' with any union. ■ He uuder- ■! stood an application had been made to.;'the Minister for Justice'by the-federa-.-! tion to have the inquest held elsewhere, than at Waihi. It was-obvious thab-the.i Minister had the -,-utmost- faith in the ; sense of justice of the jury and .himself,. : seeing that he had not directed a change'! of venue or interfered in the conduct Of ;, the inquest. ■•.-/'.:'•! The evidence of the police was corro- , boratiyo of that given by'various wit- ] nesses yesterday. ■ •'.''.;' M. Eudd, president of the new union, ' 1 stated that the men were going to work ; that morning and. had .no mte_ntio.ii,. of i rushing tho hall. The trouble began, as ,; the result of offensive language used by a -■ striker at the Union Hall when; the ;wprk- ' ers' were- passing. '■ ■ ■ . ' "vr-'v'i At the conclusion of; tho evidence;, Mr. , ; I Mays said that a condition-of the con- •; cession given the federation in, granting : an adjournment should bo that the tea- ; oration engage to produce-two witnesses. < Barfoot and ;WaddeU. The police had ■ ordeavonred to get these witnesses, but j it was obvious they were, for-, sum*: pur- -I nose, keeping away. ■'■■ ..." -i •Mr. H. E. Holland said the federation ; would do its best, to get them, along ~ with other witnesses. , ~•, n'„ ' The Court, then adjourned until;. lie- : cembcr i. i ■'. PRESENTING/* LOADED REVOLVER. ] TWO MONTHS' IMPRISONMENT. •..; Waihi, November 211.: ! At the Police Court this morning, Ar« j thuv Doyle was charged with assault, by i presenting n loaded revolver on tho 12tn : mst. Accused pleaded guilty. -.. J Mr. Mays,'who appeared tor the police, v stated that Doyle was one of the three j armed men in tne Miners Hall-on tho * 12th. According to his own _ statement, which, said Mr. Mays, they had )io reason ■ to disbelieve, Doylo was the first matt to leave the building when the raid-took ; place. It was quite evident from an ex-: amination of tho revolver that it had not ; been fired. After leaving the hall ac- : cused took refuge in Dr. Craig s house. Two workers broke into the bedroom.and -.-• found Doyle in a crouching position and presenting a-revolver. Ono man grappled with accused and wrested the revolver . from him. Tho revolver produced con- , tnined only two cartridges, of-'which the - bullets had been cut, making them ex- . pausive. The.use ofj.such ammunition | must'be discouraged in New' Zealand.. A wound from such a bullet would provto ; not only fatal, but hideous. Since his ; arrest. Doyle hiid done his best to mako ! amends, and helped tho police -in every ; way. Doyle had a previous; conviction, . having Ijecn senten'xd to; onn month 9 ; imprisonment for thei't. :■- ' '~;;'■■■' -; Accused in reply to the Bench said he , was responsible for cutting tho bullets. ; He was going shooting on the beach. Tho Bench remarked that since tho of- .- fence accused hod done his best, to make ■ amends, and hod given every assistance i to the police. Something had to be done , to mark disapproval of the fact' that ; accused was in possession of expansive .' bullets. Ho would be sentenced to two | months' imprisonment without hard j labour. ' i