THE ROTO ROA RIOT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1789, 30 June 1913, Page 8

THE ROTO ROA RIOT.

TWO INSUBORDINATES. : CONVICTIONS IN EACH CASE. (By Telegraph.—Press Association,) Auckland* Juno 29. The hearing of the charges of insulyorI dination against George Blythe and Jviniea f Charles Dunlop, inmates of tiio Koto lioa Island Reformatory Institute, was cou- ' tinned j-estorduy before Mr. C. C. Culteu, S.M. i James Chns. Dunlop, who conducted his ' own defence, save evidence to the cfi'ect j that, at a meeting of men on Wednesday ; evening, Juno 11, ho urged tlio men. to ' bo orderly cijid take care not to commit 1 any breach of the Jaw. Ho also urged tho ! men to stand together in order to get tho : reforms which they were advocating. He, as chairman, did not allow any .discus- ! sion to take placo at that .inciting as ; tho superintendent was present, and had promised to address them on his return . from Wellington, lolling them know tho ' decision of the Army Congress on the rnat- ■ tors. On June 13 one of tho officers ask- ' ed him to attend a meeting in the smoke- ' room and to tell tho men of it, but ho | said that lie did not care to attend, and 1 tho oilier men could do as thev wished. " Next morning Adjutant Claris asked Blythe and witness to attend a meeting ' in the afternoon, but said that freo dis- ■ cussion would be allowed at lunch liino. > Somo attended, and asked Staff Captain ■ Ilaynes whether he was going to allow - discussion of the matters which men dsr sired to bring before him. He said (hat r he was there to talk about the work, and - witness took up his hat and said, in an 5 undertone: "I need not stay then?" As, i witness was going out other men went in. f front of liim. t r Attendance at Religious Service. J Regarding statements having refe'renoa 1 to /religious services witness wrote a » heading in the smoke-room, and the men 3 camo forward and signed it. His object' 5 was to answer one of the by-laws that, r had just been, put up dealing with the * attendance at divino services. So far as . witness personally was concerned it wasJ his intention to givo onp final notice on 1 tho subject, so that the question as to whether one hod to attend would not be" 3 constantly, raised. He signed it quito ooji'scientiously. "No Fishing Boats," To Mr. Tunks: He did not know, of liif' own knowledge, as a privato boarder, that the men had ceased working on the niorni ing of June 11. Hi in no wav con* nected with the matter, but had lieanf men discussing the stoppage of work— talking of it as a "strike." Ho gatnercd that the men stopped work because of the resentment which they felt respecting statements purporting to have been niado by tho superintendent. There was also ascertain amount of feeling because fishing, boats were not allowed to go out. Anothor Witness. Robert Stephen?, an inmate of the island, said that ho was at the meeting on' June 11, and he did not hear Dunlop; urge the men to continue to "strike." j Dunlop did not acouse tho supcrintendj ent of telling lies. On tho morning of> tho "strike" Blythe was ill in bed, and [ was attended by Dr. Cowan. Witness did' not see Blythe put up a white flae when the superintendent camo back to the is- : land. The men on the island were notl content. Witness thought that Blvtho' was in no sense the leader, but just "one of tho mob." To Mr. Tunks: Work was stopped lx>causo tho fishing boats wore held up, and there was trouble about 'ho fo<3 supply. The men were not supposed tc work, but they,could not refuso to obej? the superintendent's orders. At the conclusion of the evidence conn-, sel addressed tho Court after which oo>' cused were convicted. Sentence will Ihdelivered to-morrow.