WERE SOLDIERS ASKED FOR?

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1890, 27 October 1913, Page 4

WERE SOLDIERS ASKED FOR?

MR. FLETCHER MISKEPORTED. Mr. R. Fletcher, chairman of tho Harbour Board, is reported •by our morning contemporary to have asked the Prime Minister if the Permanent Artillery could bo called out to assist the polico in maintaining order. Such a request was made to the Prime, Minister, but not by Mr.' Fletcher, and be gave tho statement flat contradiction on Saturday morning. "What I did say yesterday (Friday)," said Mr. Fletcher to a. 1 Dominion reporter, "was to toll the employers that when polico were wanted' I would get them, but that in tho'meantime the board would control >tho wharves. Later I told the committee,* as chairman of tire board, I' would not accept the responsibility of. allowing work to proceed on tho wharves owing to tho inadequacy of tho polico protection available. Much more protection is required before it will'be safe to allow the free labourers to continue work. Representatives of tlio shipping companies made application to work earlier in tho day, but I pointed out to them what might follow through our not having proper protection. ' I did not refits? to give tlio permission sought, but I told them thai the responsibility of working must lio on their 'own/shoulders and not on tho They agreed with mo on tho matter, and in consequence no attempt was made to work the ships last night. After I had asked Inspector Hendrey if it would not be possible for more polico to bo detailed for duty, and had received a reply in the negative, tho next step taken war.'that Mr. Kennedy, as chairman of tlio Employers* Committee, and not myself, telephoned to Mr. Massey and urged him to provide more polico protection. 1 never mentioned soldiers, Permanent Artillery men, or tho military, then or at any other time, and I would like that fact to be made qfiito clear to tho public." The strikers wero incensed at tho statement which Mr. Fletcher was reported to have made, and his position was m.idfl very unpleasant on Saturday morning. Mr. . Massey corroborates Mr. ehcr's denial of the statement that tlio chairman of tho Harbour Bonn! liad appealed to him for extra polico protection, or for the requisitioning of tho services of tho Permanent Artillery. Ho had, said Mr. Massey to a. reporter yesterday, received numerous requests for the better protection of life, and property on the wharf from several people, but Mr. Fletcher was not 'no of them.