THE STRIKE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1171, 13 November 1913, Page 2

THE STRIKE.

LEADERS UNDER ARREST.

REMANDED FOR A WEEK.

BAIL REFUSED

Wellington, Yesterday,

On Tuesday night the arrest was effected of four persons who have been prominently associated with the strike. These were: Robert Semple; Henry Holland, George 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 the 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 Strike Committee, and a member of the Propaganda Committee. From the following .particulars it will be seen that not one of the four was born in New Zealand.

Semple was born in New South Wales. He is 39 years of age. Bailey was boru in Guernsey. He also, is 39. Holland is 45. He is a native of New 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 Petone. There they had the band, and they set out on 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 plat* form a member of the Watersiders’ Band was finishing a cornet solo, “Auld Dang Syne.’’ The strike leaders were met as they stepped off the train by a force ol eight detectives. There were : Chief Detective Broberg, Detective-Ser-geant M’llveney, Detective-Ser-geant Rawle, Detectives Bailey, Andrews, Cameron, Abbott and Dempsey. In addition, there were some uniformed police present. Everything connected with the 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 Dambton Quay Police 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 police station.

None of the three men were allowed bail, although offers to thus release them fcr the night were received. They spent the night in the Dambton police cells. THE CHARGES AGAINST FRASER.

Peter Fraser is charged with, on October 29, at Wellington, having incited persons to commit a breach of the peace by uttering the following words:— Our friend here says we are not going to be starved ; but the papers to-day have announced in the 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 on strike or not. Sometimes they starve a little more, sometimes a little less. At Dublin the 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) they are talking of it. In this country there is any amount of grain and sheep and food, and the workers produced ever ounce of it —(hear, hear) — and if the workers live by the the great law known to nature —the law of self-preservation, the law which must have obedience and transcends every law made by human society—it it compels the workers to get food, then the workers of Wellington, and of New 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 ou 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 stationed in Wellington in the execution of their duty.

Till', SEMPEE CHARGES.

Robert Semple, also, is charged with two offences. He is charged firstly,

With having, on November Ist, at Wellington, incited divers unknown persons to resist constables stationed in Wellington in the execution of their duty.

The second charge against Semple is that, on November xst He incited persons to commit a breach of the peace by' uttering the following words : “Since I have arrived In Wellington J have received a vyire to say £hat Superintendent ‘M|tctieir hs§ been withdrawn from the charge at Auckland. Cullen and Herdman are responsible for this. Cullen is sheltering in an office, and will not be seen leading, the men. I hope that there

will be no shooting, but if any is done, and Culled will come out, I undertake to shoot him first.” BAILEV-CHARGES.

George Bailey is charged with having, on October 29th, incited persons to commit a breach of the peace by uttering the following words: —

“I read that the grooms who are 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 the grooms should try to induce them to cease work. You could drop a tew matches or indulge in a little sabotage, which is the latest method of industrial warfare.”

THE ARREST OP HOLLAND.

The arrest of Holland took piace at his residence in Brooklyn. It was effected by DetectiveSergeant Rawle and Detective Cameron. It was about 11 o’clock when the detectives took him in charge, and Holland was at the time just going to bed. He, too, spent the night in the police cells, bail not being granted. He is charged with having used, seditious language, and with having incited persons to resist police constables in the execution of their duty. It is charged against him that at the Basin Reserve on Sunday, October 26th, he said : ‘‘The waterside agreement was broken when the men were obliged to take a day off , when Mr Liverpool—Lord Liverpool —the gilded popinjay, the figure-head of capitalism in New Zealand, landed here ; and the same thing occurred when Sir Joseph Ward’s Dreadnought called. I remind them (meaning the police) of words used by me at Broken Hill, in Australia, the occasion when I was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment on a charge of sidition. I told the miners: ‘lf they hit you with a baton, hit them with a pick handle, and have something at the end of it.’ Here 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 on Labour.” MORE ALLEGED SEDITION. Holland is also charged with sedition respecting the following speech delivered at Newtown Park on the afternoon of Sunday, November 2nd :—‘‘You have a galling gun on the wharf to day, and there is one on the turret of the Post Office, they tell us. When Massey’s Cossacks come down upon us—-I was going to say ‘men,’ but I don’t want to be guilty of libel ” The 2,000

men offering in the Waikato were heroes, because they would come fully armed, provided Mr Massey gave them full protection. (Laughter). If free labourers were put on, they would work with a revolver iu their belts and a bludgeon alongside them, and anyone who attempted to interfere with them could be shot by them. He advised the navals present to, when they were ordered to shoot, remember where their class interests lay, and point their guns accordingly. The railwaymen should not carry free labourers. Let 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 the midnight hours, but old grey-haired women came out on the balconies to jeer them as they passed. The railwaymen had said that they were prepared to stop the trains. The drivers could stop the carts, and the seamen the ships. The uniform police could deal a staggering blow by tearing off their uniforms, and standing by the watersiders. “We are going to win, and, by God, we are going to do it, no matter what means we are going to use.”

PENALTY EOR SEDITION

Under the Climes Act, everyone is liable to two years’ imprisonment who speaks any seditious words. A seditious intention is defined thus: “To raise discontent or dissatisfaction amongst His Majesty’s subjects, or to promote feelings of ill will and hostility between different classes of such subjects.”

W. T. YOUNG ARRESTED,

BAIT REFUSED IN ATE

CASES,

Wellington, Nov. 12

W. T. Young, president of the Federation of Labour, and secretary of the Wellington branch of the Seamen’s Union, was arrested this morning on a charge of sedition, and brought before the Magistrate’s Court. Semple, Holland, Bailey and Fraser also appeared. At an early hour the Court was packed to its utmost capacity. A large body of mounted and foot specials, accompanied by the regular police, guarded all approaches and entrances to the Court. Others lined the walls on each side of the court room with drawn, batons.

Mr Riddell, S.M., presided. Young’s case was called first. He was charged with using seditiqus words at tire Basin Reserve pp October 26th. when hp said ' “If thg police force is coming to suppress us, we will uutake to mass ten or fifteen thousand armed men ready to protect themselves as armed men. If the police use

batons we will give them one back.”

He was also charged on the same date, with inciting persons to resist the police, and is further charged with inciting personas to commit a breach of the peace.

Mr O’Regan appeared for accused and applied for bail. This was granted, self and two securities of on the indictable offences, but refused on the summary charge. He was remanded for a week.

Semple, Fraser, Bailey and Holland were each charged as already telegraphed. The cases were brought separately. All five accused were remanded for a week, bail being refused Semple and Holland. It was not applied for in the cases of Fraser and Bailey. Holland, when charged, dramatically stated be did not intend to plead.

THOMAS BARKER ARRESTED IN AUCKLAND,

Auckland, Nov. 12

Thomas Barker, a strike leader, was arrested on a charge of seditious language at Wellington. He was remanded to Wellington on bail of

SUCCESSORS OF ARRESTED MEN.

Wellington, Nov. ra

In consequence of the arrest of Young and Semple. J. Dowgray, vice-president ot the Federation of Labour, will act as president until the former’s release. Another member of the executive will take up Semple’s duties as organiser for the time being.

NOTES

Indications point to a breaking down of the strike at Auckland and Wellington. The Wellington fruit markets are now open and normal business has resumed. A number of strike cases are before the court at Wellington daily and punishment is being meted out to breakers of the law.

Mr Tregear’s remarks recently made about the specials were ventilated in Parliament yesterday.

Christchurch unions declare it would be a calamity to join in a general strike.

The builders I rade labourers at Wellington intend to strike to-day. Mr Parry, organiser for the Flaxmills’ Union, addressed them yesterday.

Over four hundred men have joined the new Waterside Workers’ Union at Wellington, and the number is hourly increasing. The Wellington storemen have refused to strike.

There were no fresh developments in connection with the strike up to the time ot going to press.