ANGRY COMMUNIST.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 93, 20 April 1932, Page 3

ANGRY COMMUNIST.

HIT WITH NAVAL BATON. INDECENT LANGUAGE USED. SCHOFIELD FOR SENTENCE. "Not guilty, sonny!" said Richard James Schofield, aged 67, a Tasmanian and a well-known Communist, at the Police Court this morning, when he was charged with using indecent language in Karangahape Road and also behaving in a disorderly manner in the same road on Friday night. "Here, don't you talk like that here," said Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., to Schofield. "All right, I'm sorry," said the garrulous accused. "You see, I have no experience in Court procedure." Although he was represented by counsel, Scholicld spoke at a great rate, until the magistrate commanded him to keep quiet. "I*ll hear all you have got to say in a minute," said Mr. Hunt, smiling. Detective Brady said he was' on duty in Karangahape Road on Friday night and saw Schofield there. When the police and naval men were pressing the crowd back during the rioting, a naval man requested Schofield to move, but he refused, and abused the naval man. The crowd appeared to take notice of Schofield's words and began hooting. Such coiiduct could have easily caused another riot. "In fairness to Schofield, I think he lost his head for the moment," said Detective Brady. "Before this happened he was quietly moving among the crowd selling his Red papers and talking in the demonstration. He told me that a naval man struck him with a baton and that he lost his head afterwards." Schofield: That's quite right, detective. Detective Ritchie, of Wellington, gave similar evidence, adding that some of Schofield'ts friends led him away by the arm and saved trouble.

Detective Nalder said he had known Schofield for many years. He had been group leader of the Communist Party in Auckland and he lived at 63, Newton Road, the Communist headquarters. On Friday night when the crowd were rioting in Karangahape Road and naval men wore preventing looting, witness heard Schofield say, "Now, what do you think of the British Navy?" The crowd booed tho naval men. Schofield's conduct was inciting. "I could not move any faster than the crowd in front of me moved, your Worship," explained Schofield to Mr. Hunt. "I got a crack with a baton and it made me angry. Prior to this I had been silent and conducting myself well." The magistrate convicted Schofield and remanded him for a week for sentence.