Australian Recruiting

Taihape Daily Times, 7 December 1917, Page 5

Australian Recruiting

THE CONSCRIPTION CAMPAIGN. RIOT AT WARWICK. MR HUGHES' "SQUARE DEAL." WALLANGARRA, Nov 29. A riot occurred at Warwick this afternoon, when the Prime Minister alighted from the B'risbane-Sydney train to address an open-air meeting on the platform. The moment Mr Hughes stepped from his carriage he was surrounded by a howling mob. The platform had been beflagged, and a large crowd had gathered in the roadway below to hear Mr Hughes' address, but about 50 men—most of them of military age —were waiting on the platform when the train came in. Without any delay they commenced hooting and groaning and hurling vile epithets at the Prime Minister He had not gone more than a yard or two before a struggling, jostling crowd had wedged' around him. An egg thrown from the crowd just missed him, and broke upon the platform railings. The cdour it gave off quickly cleared a space about it. A second one, better aimed, broke upon the Prime Minister's hat, and knocked it off. There was a howl of jeering laughter which drowned the cries of "Shame!" that arose" from the crowd in the street and from a few women on the platform.' RETURNED SOLDIER INTERVENES.

But the thrower of the egg did not enjoy his triumph long. A returned soldier on the platform hurled himself upon him, and in a second a free fight was in progress. Friends .of Mr Hughes' assailant rushed to his assistance, and other men on the platform gave what help they could to the returned soldier. So far as could be judged the loyalists had the better of the struggle. One of the first to defend Mr Hughes' assailant from the wrath of the returned soldier came out of the fight with blood streaming from his face. Fists were flying everywhere, and the Prime Minister was in the thick of it, striving to get at the man who had assaulted him, and who was one of the biggest men in the crowd. He was jostled by men twice his size, but when he emerged it was his hand not his r"ace' that was bleeding. One man in the crowd carried a hammer, and another a heavy spanner, but the Prime Mnrister was daunted by Nothing. He demanded assistance from the police in apprehending the man who had as"saulted him, but it was only under the most insistent demands of the Prime' Minister that they could at last be induced to escort the man off the platform, and then they apparently released him so soon as fhey go-t out of Mr Hughes' sight, "for Tie appeared on the platform again almost immediately. POLICE IGNORE DEMANDS. This attitude of the- police was persisted in to the end, although Mr. Hughes, demanded, in his capacity as Attorney-General of the Commonwealth, that they should take action against his assailant. Senior-sergeant Kenny declined to do so, declaring that he recognised the laws of Queensland only, and would act under no other. When the riot at last subsided and the egg-thrower had been escorted from the station, Mr. Hughes proceeded to the edge of the platform to address the crowd. The air was still electrical. A woman standing on the edge of the crowd declared that she would willingly "do a fortnight to have a crack at him." A big, hulking man at her side replied that he was not afraid, either, and he would "have a crack at him, if he did time for it." Beyond hooting, however, no further physical voilence was attempted.

When the Prime Minister commenced his address he was greeted with mixed cheers and- hoots. The sergeant of police stepped to the edge of the platform and asked the crowd in the street to give the Prime Minister a square deal. This appeal Avas followed by mingled cheers and hoots. The Prime Minister, speaking with a ringing voice, said: "We have just had demonstrated before our eyes proofs of the real motives of those who oppose the Government's proposals and of the shameful abuse of the rights of free citizenship. The law shall be obeyed by every man in country police or not. (Cheers and hoots). Here in this great crisis in the history of Australia, and the Empire, when the citizens are ask ed to decide a question upon which the safety and liberty of Australia, depends, the Prime Minister is assaulted and denied the opportunity of free speech. I came here at the invitation of my fellow-citizens—" At this stage the man who first assaulted ..the Prime Minister approached Mr. Hughes in a threatening manner from the street. 5 The Prime Minister promptly jumped off the platform and went towards him. His earlier demand that the man

should be arrested had been ignored,

for there he was again, threatening Mr. Hughes with further violence. The Prime Minister again gave the man

in charge, and he was removed from the immediate vicinity, but whether he was locked up is not known, as the train resumed its journey a minute or two later.