MELBOURNE RIOTS

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 270, 12 November 1923, Page 7

MELBOURNE RIOTS

SEVERAL PEOPLE KILLED.

OVER FIVE HUNDRED WOUNDED Mobs Wreck City and Loot Shops. (From Our Own Correspondent in Melbourne.) MELBOURNE, Wednesday. Tbe first connected account of the rioting in Melbourne reached 'Auckland by the Niagara, to-day. Our special correspondent baa forwarded a picturesque story showing how the trouble originated, and _ow it developed. This shows that the first outbreaks of lawlessness were of a tentative nature, but when the hooligan element realised that there was no effective restraint upon its activities it set about the looting ef the big shops in the most open and wanton manner, windows being smashed in with sledge hammers, and a complete clearance of their contents made. For two full days the city was in the hands of the looters, and then specials, soldiers and sailors gradually succeeded in gaining control of the situation, and driving the criminal element underCound again. Since then there have been sporadic outbursts, but these ,ye been quickly checked. The strike continues, and though the men have offered to return, upon conditions, the State Government as yet shows no signs of accepting the offer.

I "LIKE A REVOLUTION." RAPID SPREAD OF TROUBLE. THREE DAYS OF BATTLE. FEROCITY OF THE RIOTERS. (From Onr Special Correspondent,! MELBOURNE, Friday. Never in the history of this country ha_ there been witnessed such an Upheaval as that which took place in Melhonrne last Saturday evening. Commencing with the refusal of the police to go in duty on Thursday, the strike rapidly spread until on Saturday right Melbourne was in the throes of a revolution. Tlie sinister significance of this: affray cannot be exaggerated. . On Friday I arrived down in Melbourne from Sydney to find the city wjpoUced, and as a result the populace in a very unhappy state. That evening tlie city remained quiet, but it was evident on Saturday morning that serious developments were threatening. The strike started over the refusal of the Ohief of Police to withdraw plainclothes inspectors, or "'spooks" as they are known, who have been employed for the past twelve months to watch the men in uniform. In many sources it is tte opinion that the men were justified in demanding the withdrawal, but of course the disgraceful demonstrations have swept away all sympathy tlliat the public may have had for the force. When the day staff refused to take «ver their beats on Friday, country police were hurriedly transferred to the city, but these, too, refused duty. Tlie men were then discharged. Most of the routine work of the force was carried out try detectives and plain-clothes con-«t_-les, but soon disorderly crowds collected, and an ugly temper was displayed. Several meetings of the strikers were called, and eventually the following motion was submitted: —"That this meeting of the majority of the Victorian police force condemns the system of espionage being practised in Melbourne and suburbs, and, in view of the repeated requests for its abolition, now deplores the necessity for the present action, and expresses regret for the need of such action, and for any disloyal utterances which may have been made in the heat of-the moment. Should no victimisation take place and fair consideration be given to the just grievances under which the force has been suffering, members

ire prepared to resume duty." On Friday the Premier of Victoria Plr. Lawson) issued a statement in which he said that the Ministry viewed with the gravest concern the action taken by a section of the police force. Certain men who were under oath to lerve the State, had deliberately, and after due -warning, refused duty. This was mutiny. The Ministry would stand firm in its insistence that the police must be true to their oath, and be loyal to the State, and that no grievance could be discussed or remedied under duress:." Red Riot. The trouble was then brought to a head. Throughout Saturday night Melbourne was seethim. with lawless molw who took charge of the centre of the city. Not a uniformed policeman was on duty, and the few loyalists available were overwhelmed by the mobs. The scenes of savagery and looting Wat followed were unprecedented in Australia. Several people were killed and criminal acts were reported from all sources. Over five hundred people were treated. The hospitals are full. Shops were looted and smashed, nnd the losses on this night alone were over f1.000.000. ,Vith another pressman I walked through the heart of the city early on Sunday morning. "It may have been a town on the ' Western front. Shops Were wrecked; masses of glass, woodwork, foodstuffs, rags, all littered the streets. Hardly a place in the centre of the city had not been looted. MELBOURNE, Saturday. The crowds gathered in the principal portions of the city on Saturday afternoon and began to taunt and lioot the loyal police, but by far the greater proPortions of the crowd consisted of sightseers. Towards evening, however, the lawless element took control. Attention Was focussed on aiming missiles at the police, until a crash of glass was heard in Swanston Street, opposite the Town Ball. It was one of the display windows of, Cann's. In quick succession every Window of the premises was smashed, *"d the crowd then proceeded along the Western side of Swanston Street, and every window that contained removable goods was broken. Only three firms escape pillage. The looting was at its height when a man emerged from the midst of the crowd and proceeded to smash in the Windows of the Leviathan Stores with a hammer. He was actually cheered as he proceeded with his destruction. Packs of larrikins then entered the windows, loading themselves with articles of clothing and throwing the expensivelydressed wax dummies into the street, Where they were quickly stripped, A ••Mil force of uniformed police and. de-

tachments of special constables were unable to quell the disturbances, and the mob, its appetite for plunder whetted, commenced to shatter the shop windows in Bourke Street. A Pitched Battle. A pitched battle raged here for the greater part of the night, and the wild pandemonium which reigned beggared description. At one stage a couple of sailors ashore from the visiting warships of the Australian Navy were attacked by a gang of hooligans. Bottles were thrown indiscriminately at this stage, and many were knocked unconscious. Another party of seamen, hearing of the plight of their comrades, made a gallant attempt to quieten the crowd and -effect a rescue. For a few minutes it seemed that they would succeed, and that reason would prevail. A bottle whizzed over the heads of the people and felled a sailor, and in an instant the

crowd had fallen imon the seamen. One by one they were knocked down and kicked, and those too injured to struggle away were laughed at and taunted until a few of the more spirited members of the rioters pulled them to their feet and struggled to safety with their insensible bodies. lii Bourke Street, from Elizabeth to Swanston Streets, most of the business premises had their windows broken and goods stolen, and looting. occurred also in CoUins and Elizabeth Streets; but, while the disturbances in Swanston and Bourke Streets might have been termed a continuous riot, tlie disorders elsewhere were of a sporadic nature. Many wild scenes of spoliation and callousness were -witnessed, and these, instead of striking the onlookers with terror and shame, were greeted with shrieks of hysterical laughter and bursts of cheering. When the windows of one

jeweller's sliop bad been broken several men began quietly to select the best of the jewellery, while another reached for alarm clocks and gold them to the bystanders for half-a-crown apiece. Each sale was loudly applauded. Ferocious Mob. Then a man pushed to the front of the window and began: "Think what you're doing, boys! How can it end!" From behind he was smashed on the head with a bottle. He dropped in a heap, and not a soul stepped forward to protect him as he was savagely kicked into complete insensibility. Tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage had been caused, and it ia estimated that it win cost very nearly £10,000' to repair the damage done to display windows and replace the expensive plateglass. Stocks of great value were pillaged. The special constabulary were singled out for much of the ferocity of the larrikins, and. many of them, together with a number of members of the police force, were seriously injured by missiles thrown at them and blows aimed at them as they endeavoured to restore a. semblance of order in ithe principal streets. Wholesale Looting. Tlie fire brigade came from headquarters and turned the hoses on rioters in Collins Street. This had little effect. Just when their efforts might have proved successful, the firemen were called away to a big fire in Richmond. Small, dirty children participated in the looting. They rushed in and out in the fray, and screamed abuse. In one jeweller's window which was smashed in, a number of urchins crawled through the broken glass, and came out and paraded through the streets with their fingers laden with rings. Constant Battle Throughout the latter part of the afternoon and until a late hour at night the police and rioters were in constant battle. It was not before 11 o'clock that the large crowds began to disperse, and even then it was only with the greatest caution and valour that the loyal police and special constabulary prevented further plunder and deeds of violence. The policemen sought to make arrests, but in many instances they had not proceeded far with their captives before they were compelled to release them. To add to the excitement a horse attached to a jinker became terrified, and plunging wildly forward, knocked a man downed, injuring him severely. Still later a small detachment in naval uniform marched along Swanston Street, from the direction of the station. Reaching Bourke Street, they retraced their steps, but, although these were loudly hooted, they did not attempt to take action. Two parties of pipers marched on their way to the police carnival at the exhibition. As they turned into Bourke Street they were loudly cheered and no attempt was made to molest them. Early in the evening an elderly man, who, flourishing a Bible, attempted to address the mob, was set upon and felled. The excellent work of the loyal members of the traffic control branch of the Victorian police force earned the merited approbation of the whole of the community. The men remained at their posts for'lo and 12 hours at a stretch during the mutiny, and behaved with great courage and restraint. They had been taunted without cessation by street loafers and hooligans. Brutal Murder. The wor_t case of murder in connect on with the riots, perhaps, was that of a young man found in City Road, Melbourne.

The detectives believe that he was attacked by a gang of ruffians, who took advantage of the unprecedented opportunity afforded by tlie absence of the police. All his possessions had been removed from his pockets.

The body was found lying near a bole in the ground. The man's coat had been removed and thrown over his body. Beside him was an unopened bottle of ale and there was blood on the path from a dreadful wound in the face. An examination of the injuries showed that he ■had been struck heavily on tlie nose, probably with a bottle or heavy instrument. .So severe was the blow that the fracture extended considerably. Fatal Affray. Another serious affray occurred in a wine saloon. The proprietor rushed into the watchhouse and made a statement that shooting had <»ecurred in the yard at the rear of his saloon and that two men had been seriously wounded. The proprietor, who was greatly excited, produced a revolver, which he said had been used in the shooting in self-defence. In the shed at tlie rear of the premises the police found two young men lying on the floor unconscious. One was bleeding freely from a bullet wound in tho body and the other was suffering from injuries to the head. They were takento hospital, where one who wan in a dying condition was operated upon for the removal of a bullet which had entered the abdomen and penetrated the lungs. After a protracted investigation the bullet had not been removed. The young man died the following afternoon. The detectives are satisfied that the shot was fired in self-defence. No arrest was made. Volunteers Called For. At eight o'clock on Saturday evening appeak for recruits for a volunteer police force were flashed on the screens at all the music and picture halls. There was a splendid response, and from then onwards the Town Hall was a scene of unwonted activity, reminiscent of the early days of the war. Over two thousand men were enrolled. Of this number a large majority comprised returned soldiers. They were issued with batons and arm and hat bands, and drafted into the city. The feeding arrangements were almost on the lines of a war camp. Waiters and waitresses, with special badges, prepared food, as they did when the enlistment, were proceeding during the war. Melbourne Sunday. On Sunday it was announced that the Federal authorities had decided to invoke the aid of the three arms of the defence j law—naval, military and air—in order '' to protect Commonwealth property. AU naval and military leave waa stopped. From this stage onwards the situation became under control. The big batches of volunteers were split into smaller batches of fifty, and as such the special constables and. military patrolled the streets. Among the volunteers were leading professional and commercial men. Scleral wearing the badge of the Limbless Soldiers' Association offered their services. They were reluctantly rejected. After being sworn in the volunteers were issued with armlets am. batons. Before marching on duty they were addressed by Inspector Montague, of the Permanent Force. He said: "Remember the oath you nave taicen. We want you to support the uniform men, not make undue display of your batons. If you have to use them, use them with discretion. Do not injure innocent people, and do everything possible to assist women and children. As for the larrikins, hit them hard', and hit them in the portion of the body that will not injure them seriously." afc Wrecked City Probably never before has the city borne such an appearance as it did on Sunday morning. Beside the wreckage caused by the mob's riotous behaviour on Saturday evening, which littered footpaths and gutters, and the barren appearance of the /principal shopping centre, there were thousands of people in the streets. Crowds began to pour into the city at a very early hour. The,- came on foot and in vehicles of every "description, singly and in families. The temper of the crowd was quiet. Carpenters and other workmen were busily engaged at an early hour in constructing wooden barricades across shop display windows to prevent further inroads" by rioters. In other establishments employe-- wre h»rd at work removing the stock from the windows to a safer place. An employee of one big