ARREST OF STRIKE LEADERS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1904, 12 November 1913, Page 8

ARREST OF STRIKE LEADERS.

FOUR IN CUSTODY.

SEMPLE, HOLLAND, FRASER, AND BAILEV. BAIL REFUSED. THE NATURE OF THE CHARGES. Last night the arrest was effected of four persons who'havo been prominently associated with the. strike. These, were: Robert Semple, Henry Holland, Gc-orge Bailey, and Peter Fraser. The four are well-known members of the New Zealand Federation of Labour. Robert. Semple holds the position of organiser for the New Zealand Federation of Labour. Henry Holland is the editor of the "Maoriland .Worker," the organ of the New Zealand Federation of Labour. ' Peter Fraser is tin; secretary of the newly-formed Wellington branch of the Social Democratic Party. George Bailey has figured throughout the present strike as the chairman of the open-air meetings conducted by the Strike Committee. He is a member of the Striko Committee, and a member of the Propaganda Committee. Not One a New Zealander. From the following particulars it will be seen that not 0110 of the four was born in New Zealand. ~ Semple was born in New South Wales. He is 39 years of age. Bailey was born ill Guernsey. He, also, is 39. Holland is 45. Hs is a native, of Now South Wales.. Fraser, a native of Scotland, is the youngest—29. Three Taken at Lambton Station. In regard to three cases Messrs. Semple, Fraser, and Bailey had been 'holding a meeting at I'etoue. There they had tho, band, and they set out oil their return for Wellington in the train which reaches Lambton Railway Station at ten minutes to 10. Curiously enough, just as the train was slowing down at the station platform a member of the Watersiders' .Band was finishing a cornet solo, "Auld Lang Syne." The strike leaders were met as they stopped off the train by a force of eight defectives. These were: Chief Detective Broberg, Detective-Sergeant M'llveney, Detective-Sergeant Rawlo, Detectives Andrews, Cameron, Bailey, Abbott, and Dempsey. In addition, there wore somo uniformed police present.

Everything connected with tho apprehension of the trio was quiet. None of them resisted or remonstrated. The detectives informed the parties that they were under arrest, and that they required them,to proceed to Lambton Quay Polico Station in their custody. The journey to the police station—a short one —was made on foot, and the arrest was witnessed by quite a crowd of people, many of whom followed the procession from the railway station to the polico station. None of the three men were allowed bail, although offers to thus release them for tho night were received. They spent tho night in the Lambton police cells. This morning they will appear in tho Magistrate's Court, to answer the charges against them. The Charges Against Fraser. Peter Fraser is charged with, on Octobor 29, at Wellington, having incited persons to commit a breach of the peace by uttering tho following words: — "Our friend hero says wo are not going to bo starved; hut tlie papers to-day have announced in tho most cold-blooded manner possible that the employers have settled down to a starving campaign. Now, in the older countries of the world they play that game, only there the - workers starve whether they are oii strike or not. '.Sometimes they starve a little more, sometimes a little less. At Dublin tho other day they tried to starve them, but they have not done it yet, And here, in God's Own Country (God likes it so much that He keeps it all to Himself and gives none of it to the workers) thoy are talking of it. In this country there is any amount of grain, and sheep, and food, and tlie workers produced every ounce of it—(hear, hear)—and if the workers live by the great law known to Nature—tho law of selfpreservation, the law which must liavo obedience and transcends every law made by human society—• if it compels tho workers to get food, then the workers of Wellington, and of Now Zealand, are going to get food, and if a few doors have to be burst, like the Basin Reserve gate, all the worse for the doors.'*

The alleged speech was delivered from a cart in the Post Office Square on the morning of October 29, and was the last of the morning series of addresses delivered on that day. Fraser is also charged with having, at "Wellington, on October 29, incited divers unknown persons to resist constables statioaed in Wellington in the execution of their duty. The Semple Charges. Robert Semple, also, is charged, withtwo offences. He is charged firstly, With having, on November 1, at Wellington, incited divers unkiiowit persons to resist constables sta» tioned in Wellington in the eseeu* tion of their duty. The second charge against Semple is that, on Novemberl He incited persons to commit a breach of the peace by uttering the following words: "Since I have arrived in Wellington 1 have received a wire to say that Superintendent' Mitchell has been withdrawn from the charge at Auokland. Cullen and Herdma.n ate responsible for this. Culleft is sheltering in an office, and will not bo seen leading tho men. 1 hope that there will be no shooting, but if any is done, and Cullen will come out, I uudcrtako to shoot him first." Bailey Charges. George Bailoy is charged with having, on October 29, incited persons to commit a breach of the peace by uttering tho following words: — "I read that the grooms who aro attending the horses of the mounted constables who are distributed at different parts of the city are being paid at the rate of 10s. a day. Any persons who know tlio grooms should try to induce them to eoaso work. You could drop a fow matches or indulge in a little sabotage which is the latest method of industrial warfare." The Arrest of Holland. The arrest of Holland took place at his residence in; Brooklyn, It- was effected by Detective-Sergeant Rawle and Detective Cameron. It was about 11 o'clock when tho detectives took liini in charge, and Holland was at the time just fioing to bed. He, too, spent the uight in the Police _ cells, bail not being granted. _ Ho is charged with having I used seditious language, anil with havti ing incited persons to resist police constables in tho oxnoutjon tlioir duty It is gharged agaiasfc Mn that

rit the Basin Reserve on Sunday, Otto ber'DC. ho said:—

"The waterside agreement was broken when tho men were obliged to take a day otf: when Mr. Liverpool—Lord Liverpool—the gilded ■popinjay, the figure-head of capitalism in Now Zealand landed nerej and tho same thing occurred when Sir Joseph Ward's Dreadnought ca lied. t remind them (meaning tho police) of words used by mo at Broken llill in Australia, tho occasion when I was sentenced to two years' imprisonment on a charge of sedition". I told tho miners: 'If they hit you with a baton, hit them with a pick handle, and have something at the end of it.' Hero is your opportunity, you John Hops (meaning the police). They (the employers) want to give you a miserable eight bob a day, and the soul and clothes of a slave, and want you to scab oil Labour," More Alleged Sedition. Holland is also charged with sedition respecting the following speech delivered at Newtown Park on the afternoon of Sunday, November 2: —''You have, a Gntliug gun oil the wharf to-day, and there is one on the turret of the Post Office, they tell us. When Massey's Cossacks corns down upon us—l was going to say 'men,' but I doii'fc ivant to be guilty of libel ." Tho £000 men offering in the Waikato ' were heroes, because they would come fully armed, provided Mr. Massey gave them full protection. (Laughter.) If free labourers wore put on, they would work with a revolver in their belts and a bludgeon alongside them, aud anyone who attempted to interfere with them could be shot by them. He advised the navals present to* when thoy were ordered to shoot, remember where their class interests lay, and point their guns accordingly. Tho raiiwaymeii should not carry free labourers. Lot the trains rot and rust. The strike was not made by the working classes, but by the master classes, who were pouring their armed hundreds into Wellington, not in the daylight, but like thieves in the night, coming utterly ashamed of the work they were undertaking. They sneaked in in tho midnight hours, but old greyhaircd women came out on tho balconies to jeer them as they passed. The railwayman had said that they were prepared to stop the trains. The drivers could stop tho carts, and the seamen the ships. The uniform police, could deal a staggering blow by tearing off their uniforms, and standing with the watersiders. "We are going to win, and, by God, wo arc going to do it no matter what means we are going to use." . Penalty for Sedition. Under tho Crimes Act everyone is liable to tivo years' imprisonment who speaks any seditious words. A seditious intention is defined thus: "To raise discontent or disaffection amongst His Majesty's subjects," or to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different classes of stieli subjects.". Marc Arrests Likely. In all the cases the informations were laid, and warrants taken out yesterday afternoon by Detective-Sergeant J. 3. Cassells, of Mt. Cook Police Station. Itis expected that further arrests will follow, probably to-dav.