NEARLY A RIOT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 14, 16 January 1914, Page 5

NEARLY A RIOT.

DISTURBANCE AT HtTNTLY. ' OLD UNION EVICTED. MEMBERS FORCIBLY EJECTED. HALL SHIFTED WITH JACKS. NEW UNION IN POSSESSION. ' (By Telegraph."—Own Correspondent.) . . HUNTLY, Thursday. 'Hie Huntly Coal Miners' Undon office was the centre of an incident which nearly approached a riot, at about 4.15 this afternoon. The office is situated on the property of the Taupiri Coal Mines, Ltd., and faces Ohe main street. All the men living at the southern end of the town have to pass the office on their way homeward, and it was, just after\ the men working at the Extended mine'hud' knocked off for the. day that the incident happened. He main body of workers, under police escortj were almost out of the township. Several police were stationed a iew hundred 1 yards further down the road, and one or tivo foot constables did duty on the other side. The president and three members of, the old union were. on the- side of the road opposite to the office as the' president (S-- Dixon) and about twelve members of the new union approached from the northern end of the township.. The niembera of the old union were observed to hurry across into the office, and had. just got inside when the president of the new union (S. Dixon) stepped in after them, followed by some of his executive. " . Confusion followed. Someone inside grabbed Mr. Dixon, and tried to eject him, while others tried to shut the door, but a solid v>ody of big men "were jammed in the doorway, and after a few seconds excited struggling the new executive puslicd their -way into the office. At this time there were eight members of t!ie old uaion in the office, six were observed to follow each- other in rapid succession as they .scrambled through the window. One 'man wa& ejected violently through the door, and' fell on his back on the hard road. The only one left facing a dozen men was William Wood (president of the old union). By this time supporters of the oldunion were surging round the door, andi the position looked very ugly, but the police then, arrived on the scene, preventing any further trouble... A very large crowd had congregated, and the president of the old union appealed to the police for protection. The. office, he said, belonged to the Huntly; Coal Miners' Union, and he was not going to leave dt unless they said he had to. r , Mr. Dixon (the president of the new union) argued that the office was built by the men who belonged to his union; that it was built with his money, £C5of which was still owing to him, and, moreover, he was in possession, and there he was going to stay. After further argument, during which Mr: Wood stood unsupported, and faced twelve men determined -to keep possession of the office, Mr. Dixon told [ Mr. Wood that he had better get three I men an, and take away the Ibooks, correspondence, etc. I Realising the futility of further argument, Mr. Wood called in three, men, who brought sacks, into which the books, etc., were stowed and carried away. After everything had gone Mr. Wood stepped out of the office, and, as he did so, the president of the new union called for three cheers for "Bill r Wood," which were heartily given by those in possession of the office. Mr. Wood was tfhen heard to say, "It's an insult for those men_ to cheer mc;" but a bystander said, "No; you've ueted the man throughout, and it doesn't mutter." Immediately after -this the men who had taken possession started to shift the office with the-aid-of jacks. tn a very short time it was moved back about ten feet, a corrugated iron fence was put round it, and new* locks were put on the door. It is the intention of the executive to guard the office during the night. To-day's incident is the only disorderly scene which has occurred throughout the thirteen weeks of the strike, and the absence of any trouble is largely due to the splendid and tactful manner in. which Mr. W. Wood has handled the men, who looked up to him as their leader, and whom they deeply wspect on account of his sterling quaUJi?,.