RAND RIOTS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1844, 2 September 1913, Page 11

RAND RIOTS.

' 5 DREADFUL STREET SCENES. EYE-WITNESSES' STORY. A graphic account of the sanguinary 1 strike riots in Johannesburg was fur- j nished by Mr. It. liruco Maciic, of the j accountancy staff of tho City Deep mine • in Johannesburg, who arrived in Sydney last week on a visit to his brother. Mr. Macfie was ono of the special constables sworn in for tho protection of mine property. "Tlio trouble started at tho New Kieinfontein mine," ho said. "Anew underground manager had been installed tliero, and a variation was mado in the working hours of the mechanics, so as to make them correspond with those of tlio miners. The mechanics objected, but the management remained firm, and agitators got to work, and tho fight began. It would havo been a simple matter to havo dealt with tho strike in its incipient stago, but it grew within a week or two to large and dangerous proportions, and tho red riband leaders, flushed by the measure of their achievements, triod to bring about a general striko, so as to paralyse tho country." Riot In the Square. Thousands camo to participate in a mass meeting in Market Square on July 4, but two hours previous to the timo of the meeting the authorities issued a proclamation forbidding it, after having allowed a similar meeting at Benom a few days before. - That was, he said, one of the examples of tactlessness that characterised tho Government's handling of tho striko throughout. At. 3 o'clock many thousands were assembled in tho square. The procenco of a strong force of armed foot and mounted jif-lico and mounted troops was no deterrent. Official notices were displayed prohibiting any' assemblies of moro than six, and giving tho authorities the right to use force of arms in tho ovent of refusal of such assemblies to disperso when called on. The meeting was thus in defiance of the Government's edict. The leaders of tho strike started to address the crowd, and disorder commfneed. Then tho Riot' Act wris read, and tho police, with drawn batons, sot about dispersing tho meeting. A Terrible Melee. "A terrible melee ensued," Mr. Macfio continued. "The police wero greeted with a fusilado of stones and bottles and everything that tho strikers, or rather tho hoodlum eloment, could lay hands on. Tlio polico wore badly cut about by the flying, missiles, and dragoons rodo to their assistance and cleared tho square. "The mantlo of darkness had barely fallen on Johannesburg before the exasperated mob wore on tho warpath again. Thoso who did not already possess firearms looted gunsmiths' shops. They marched toi the chief railway terminus (Park Station), and, after . smashing windows all along the route, set that building blazing. Next they mado for tho office of the "Evening Star," the Tory sontiments that had been expressed by that paner having aroused tlio wrat'h of tho rabble, and very soon tho front portion of that place uas in flames. Then a rush was made for tho corner bouse, that being tho biggest of tho mining' houses in the city. Shooting In tho Streets. "I liavo never witnessed anything oven remotely approaching tho horroi'3 of tho rest of that night.' Tho mob and tho troops wore soon in conflict, and after a disregarded warning volley by tio latter* they fired low, and the ambulance began ita work, which was to oontinuo next day, 300 being killed or .wounded during 'tlio dreadful 48 hours that tho disturbances lasted. Numbers of men wore shot in tho streets, for by this timo the city was under martial law. One man walked along crying out to tho Tommies, who were standing about wtili loaded rifles, "Shoot mo if you daro?" They did. Tho poor follow i was riddled with bullets. Shots rang out every few minutes, and someone dropped dead or wounded. It was an awful business. General Botha arrived from Pretoria, and an armistice was agreed upon. An agreement was arrived at, and as suddenly as it flared up tho trouble subsided. "I don't think," Mr. Maefie concluded, "that tho outcomo of tho strike will be of advantage to tlio men. Things were rather bad in Johannesburg when. T left. A number of people are returning to Australia."