FILIPINOS CHARGED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 178, 29 July 1940, Page 8

FILIPINOS CHARGED.

TWO FINED FOR ASSAULT.

CHINESE CAFE INCIDENT

The sequel to an incident 'which occurred in the basement of a Chinese cafe in Grey's Avenue on Saturday afternoon about 2 o'clock was the appearance of four Filipino seamen in the dock in the Police Court this morning on a charge of assaulting the Chinese cook, Jip Hong. The accused were: Courado Santos. (30), Felix Dayrit (26), Valerian Castillo (27), and Tito Febrero Macobranti (25). Represented by Mr. Butler, they each pleaded not guilty.

Jip Hong showed Mr. J. Morling, S.M., a lump on the forehead and a large bruise on the back of the head. He told the magistrate he wae assaulted by two of the Filipinos, one of whom punched him on the nose and made it bleed. He added that two of the accused struck him, and when he tried to get away from them, the other two held him while the first two struck him again. He further said he was in the basement plucking slftie poultry when the four accused came down, became cheeky and threw water over him when he told them to leave the basement.

A different story was told by the four Filipinos. They said that the Chinese had threatened them with a stick. The stick wae taken from Jip Hong who, it was alleged, picked up a hatchet. Then a fight occurred for the hatchet. They all denied that Jip Hong was assaulted by any of them. They aleo alleged the Chinese threw hot water on them.

After hearing the evidence Mr. Moiling considered there was no evidence against Dayrit and Santos and the charge against them was dismissed. There was no doubt the Chinese had been assaulted, but hp thought the incident occurred through a misunderstanding. "I don't think the Filipinos went there to cause trouble," Mr. Morling added. "Their captain givee them a very good character, and they appear to be decent fellows. But they had no right to deal with the Chinese as thev did.'*

Castillo and Macobr*nti were each fined £3.