SECOND TUMULT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1911, 20 November 1913, Page 8

SECOND TUMULT.

RIOTING IN TARANAKI STREET. SPECIALS & THE FLOUR, FURTHER ARRESTS'TeFFECTEB. Another'scene of disorder was enacted in Taranaki Street, shortly after 5 p.m., when the country speci-at police wore, returning to the Mount Cook Barracks.. The whole force marched together along Jervois Quay, where it was split into, three detachments. Those in front proceeded right along to Clyde Quay, and a second detachment turned up Tory Street. The third, consisting of a small party of mounted and foot specials, went up the hill by way of Taranaki Street. The first two detachments reached ■their quarters without incident, but the third had an exciting time. As the rearguard drew opposite Frederick Street, a young man drove a lorry with a load of flour into the street, and drew, up opposite a bakery. It is stated that the driver has personally . no interest in' the strike, and Was not even working for wages, but only "lending a hand" to his friend, the baker. Notwithstanding this ho was considerably molested by strikers and rioters, who threatened to prevent him from unloading his cart. The young man was somewhat nonplussed, but the cß'muianding officer of- the last squad' of mounted men, sizing up the situation in an instant, ordered his troopers to wheel into Frederick Street. He told the driver not to attempt to unload the flour—which, byjtha way, had been recently shipped from Timaru, and was therefore what the strikers call "black" . cargo—but that his men .would carry . out the job. ' (""Here, four of you," he said to his men, "get off your horses and unload j this cart." Four men promptly obeyed the order, removed their coats, and advanced to the lorry. There was a, . few moments' delay before the work of j unloading commenced, and the strikers . got it into their heads that the baker ; had refused to take delivery of the , flour. The announcement that this Was ' the case was received with enthusiasm, ' three cheers being given for "the union bakery.'' But, alas! for strikers' hopes. The specials fell to with a will, and in a few moments the flour- was iit the bako- • house, and the empty lorry drove off through the other end of the street, "It Wasn't Mol It Wasn't Mo!" The special men then set out again for tho barracks, hut just as the last sections were wheeling into 'favanakt Street a man standing on tho side of the footpath opposite to Frederick Street called out loudly, "Oh! yon b scabs; get trtit of it." Like a flash half-a-dozen special men l wheeled round aud rode their horses on - to the footpath, pinning; several people 1 against the foneo of St. Potcr's Mission, s Two of the troopers seized ono of the ; men on the footjiath by the shoulders, 1 mid curried hi™ ' n '" ® w «>nil,.wlit!i> lm was taken ui ehaxge ty. two regular foot

constables. The crowd surged round tho prisoner and his captors, and there was a sneiw of great- confusion. The prisoner kept calling out in a loud voice: "It wasn't me; it wasn't me. You've got the tvroitg man." The mounted men cleared a lane through the crowd, and the constables hurried their man off to the Mount Cook Police Station. The specials then hurried their horses' heads up the. hill and rode off to their qimrlurs. They were followed by a small cfortd of men who- continually assorted that the wrong man had been taken, and that the man. who had used the words liad slipped away. Oho of them called out: "All of you that are men, come up to the station, and give your names in. They've got the wrong iii.tn." It was half an hour before the excitement subsided, and the crowd gradually dispersed. At the police station tho arrested man jjave his name as William George 'Renault. Ho was charged with having- used abusive language. Scuffle in Ohiro Road. Still another -scuffle, which resulted in a man named Thomas ■ lJnnn finding himself in the- lock-up on-a charge of assault, occurred in Ohiro Read after 5 p.m. A young man was driving homo after his day's work in on© of O'Brien's carts, when ho -. was set upon by a crowd of strikers, who were lying in wait for him. They tried to drag hint oil his.cart, hut he stack to his guns, and, it is said, gave- one of thent—tho man who Was subsequently arrested— something to remember. Tho Mount ' Cook police were informed of tho distur-' bance, and it posse was dispatched to tho rescue-. The rioters scurried away, hut fianii was traced to 3 neighbouring house, into which ho was followed fey Senior Sergeant Dow, who arrested him. He was charged with .assaulting the . driver. .