SERIOUS TURN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 26, 31 January 1934, Page 7

SERIOUS TURN.

ONE DEATH REPORTED.

Foreigners Meet Invasion With

Riflefire.

COMMUNISTS BLAMED,

(United P.A.-Electrlc Telegraph— Copyrights

(Received 12 noon.) PERTH, this day. Eenvarkable scenes of violence continue at Kalgooz'lie and Boulder City, where the rioting mobs arc entirely out of control. The situation took a serious turn late last night when the foreigners made a firm stand to protect their lease at Boulder City against invasion with rifles and knives.

Some miners attempted to bomb the foreigners' camp and the latter replied with rifle fire, wounding three miners, while another miner was stabbed.

The noise of a gelignite explosion informed the miners at a mass meeting that rioting had broken out again and the whole populace turned out and rushed • the foreign settlement. It was discovered that the miners had endeavoured to destroy the foreigners' camps but were repulsed.

The , miners returned to the town, which they scoured for weapons, and then returned and a pitched battle occurred. When the foreigners fired on the advancing miners, the latter returned the fire. The foreigners retreated, but kept up a running fire. The mob then set fire to a large area in the foreign quarter.

The latest message stated that one Montenegrin was killed and that a Britisher was dying from a knife wound in the stomach. Shacks are ablaze for nearly a mile. The battle was punctuated with loud explosion of dynamite bombs, and the police were powerless to interfere.

The rioting was watched by hundreds of people. The actual wreckers were mostly youths, whose sympathisers cheered them on and, while keeping at a safe distance themselves, displayed willingness to share in the loot.

Many of the rioters became drinkcrazed. With bottles of liquor filling their pockets, they went about shouting their intention to "clean up the Dagoes." The police were warned not to attempt to interfere, as they would be dealt with. One constable defied the warning and was struck on the head by a flying bottle and taken to hospital. The total number of available policemen in Kalgoorlie and Boulder City was only 20. Consequently they were hopelessly outnumbered.

The West Australian Government has sent 200 extra- policemen to the scene, but these are regarded as insufficient owing to the long-smouldering racial jealousies resulting from the economic penetration of foreigners on the goldfields. The climax was Jordan's death.

A similar riot occurred in 1919, when all foreigners were evicted from Kalgoorlie and Boulder City after the death of a man named Norwood.

The State Premier, Mr. Collier, in a statement, deplored the outbreak of lawlessness. He said he was advised that it had its genesis in the machinations of a few Communists.