MORE EVICTIONS

Hokitika Guardian, 20 June 1931, Page 5

MORE EVICTIONS

BY SYDNEY POLICE. SECOND GRIM BATTLE. (Australian Press Association.) SYDNEY, June 19. Another sensational clash between the anti-evictionists and the police, took place at noon to-day at Newtown, a Sydney suburb. '1 lie police, on this occasion, made greater use of their revolvers.’ They fired fi teen shots before they raided a semi-detached, two-storied house. There were fourteen of the anti-evic-tioiiists and eight of the police injured, and a spectator, a man of alxnn forty years of age, dropped dead with excitement while watching# the battle. Leading Communists were again associated with the affair. Many of theii members addressed the crowd present prior to the police raid, and they urged the workers to fall in behind them, and fight the police. The police regarded the challenge as an open defiance of the law.

With surprising suddenness, the police arrived in a motor-bus. Their arrival was heralded by shouts and volleys of stones. There were men on the upstairs balcony of the house, and they maintained a fusilade. Thereupon an Inspector of Police commanded his liieu to draw their revolvers and to fife,

Immediately there was a succession of shouts. The balcony defenders disappeared inside the house, The police battered down the doors of the house. They were met by a shower of stones and half-bricks. The wonder is that they escaped with their lives.

There was a battle inside the house, which raged for twenty minutes, everything that was breakable being reduced to ruins. Huge stones came hurtling downstairs, and missed the policemen only by inches. A thin cordon of police kept order outside the house, but they were constantly ducking to avoid flying stones.

The onlookers were hooting and this hooting was never allowed to subside. The police eventually emerged with a number of the bedraggled and bloodstained defenders, handcuffed together. They were marched to a waiting police wagon.

The prisoners received medical treatment at the Gaol Hospital, before being locked up and charged. The injure 1 police were treated at the Police Hospital.

FOUR WITH CONCUSSION. SYDNEY, June 19. The police must have dealt more severely with the Newtown anti-evic-tionists to-dav as four of the men are suffering from concussion. They also have extensive cuts. Probably these injuries were caused by the police batDhs, but the police shots were aimed more to frighten-them, than to injure them.

The bullets shattered the woodwork of the balcony. One of the men was shot in the arm. Eighteen arrests vverb made. Tlie police wounds were mostly superficial ones. One policeman has a fractured hand. PROTECTION FOR TENANTS. SYDNEY, June 19. Hon. Mr Lainaro the new AttorneyGeneral of N.S.W., has announced that the Government is introducing legislation to protect tenants against eviction in certain instances, which it is hoped, will minimise the eviction disturbances.

A DAY OF VIOLENCE DISGRACEFUL SCENES. A RELIEF DEPOT EMPTIED. (Received this day at 9.25 a.m) SYDNEY 7 , June 20. Yesterday will be remembered in Sydney ais a day of unexampled violence .

Following/the Newtown riot, there was a mild demonstration in Railway Square where' shop windows were broken. Even the Labour daily newspaper office suffered. Altogether twenty-two arrests were made and six others are in the hospital.

For the first time since the 1927-28 razor war. the police in the Metropolitan area have been doubled.

Disgraceful scenes were witnessed at Orange relief depot, when a crowd of five hundred men and women rushed the building and helped themselves to a great quantity of food and clothing, which was intended for distribution among the poor and needy.

At the end of the raid there was not an article left. One man was knocked down and trampled on and pandemonium reigned while the unruly crowd escaped with armfuls of goods.

AIR, SERVICES SUSPENDING. SYDNEY, June €0

Owing to the financial depression the Australian National Airways Ltd. are to suspend temporarily their interstate air services at the end of the month.