AGITATOR ON TRIAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1706, 1 May 1917, Page 3

AGITATOR ON TRIAL.

“A I’HETTY TALK.” “HAD TO TELE THEM SOMETHING." Dunedin, April 2(i. In the case of Alfred William Coleman, a miner from Runanya, charged with inciting a seditious strike at Fairiield, Deteclive-Sergt. Kemp said that, listening from a window, he heard accused make the following statement :

“1 wish to express jo you the reason why the Coast miners went out on strike. It was because the Government intended to employ in the mines German, Austrian, Dalmatian cheap labour. It was this fear that brought them out. .My mission down here is to interview you, and yet you to come out on strike. One has to be very careful what they say owing to the War Regulations. Fresh ones arc being made every week. I went to Invercargill. and Detective-Sergt. Cameron interviewed me, and said I had (-ome to incite industrial strife. Ho advised me to go back, but here I am to-night. 1 ‘kidded’ to him I had a very good meeting at Nightcaps. After I had interviewed the men it, was decided they would leave it with the Federation whether they came out or not, so that’s all right. I had to bo very careful what I said, because 1 was warned some of the men would give me away to the police. 1 came on to Kaitangata, but there is no show of a strike there; in fact, a man named Cairns said he could see what I was after, and moved that there be no strike. There is no show there. My mission is to interview you, and get you to come out on strike. The Federation is greatly disorganised, owing to the arrest of Semple and other leaders. There are only three left now. Two have gone North to interview the miners in the North Island. A strike is no good unless it lasts two months at least. The only way you can get anything out of the capitalist is to use the ‘boot’ on him every time. I am a ‘shirker,’

aind .1 have three brothers who arc ‘shirkers,’ ;m(i I don’t mind telling yon |ln> lenders who were nrrested on the Weel Const and were tnken nwny I‘rom there, imd they been lim'd there then' would here been trouble. A mob of miners would have upset everythiny, but the police Imd too mm-h sense to try them there. It’s n man in Dually llml gave the show nwny, We have tin* waterside workers in Wellington with ns, and the Federation in Australia. We were promised their support to a man before we came out. I see .limmy Allen and another .Minister have gone down the Coast. I don’t know what 1 tit* result will lie.. We ran do nothing by wiring now; i he\ won’t deliver them; it must In, done by letter or rode. We ran send rode messages from the Coast t > Christchurch. The war will last for three years yet, and the longer it goes on the cheaper labour will yet. it's a great pity Semple and the othei leaders were locked up, but the war will not be over before they come out. 1 am the accredited representative of the miners cm strike on the West Coast, and what action I take has been approved of by (hem and Mr Coppersmith, their representative.” [(elective Kemp, in course of reexamination, said: “At the police station I said to accused, ‘That was a pretty tale you told them about yet liny Germans and Austrians to work Ihe mines.' He said, ‘Yes, you have (o tell (hem somethin"'.’ " The accused, who appeared in Ids own defence l , yave evidence. In cross-examination, he said he worked at Runanya mine, and came out on strike. He approved of it, al(houyh he did not know what brought him out. His expense's were paid for him to come to Otago and Southland and explain the reasons for the strike. He believed that the employers were using the Military Service Act to yet cheap labour into (he mines, but whether it was to be German or Austrian labour or anything 1 else, he did not know. It was true that he said he was a shirker. He did not mind telling them that. Mr McGregor (Crown solicitor) : You are rather proud of it, then ? Accused: Yes I am. Mr McGregor; Are you registered? Witness: Yes, but I haven’t got the registration paper. The Magistrate (Mr Bartholomew) said he must take the case as conclusively proved. Accused ‘would be convicted. On the application of the Crown Solicitor, an adjournment was granted for a week, so that inquiries might be completed as to the antecedents of accused.