RIOT AT FREMANTLE.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16522, 14 May 1919, Page 8

RIOT AT FREMANTLE.

LOYALISTS VERSUS STRIKERS

3IANT PERSONS INJURED.

(from out own coitr.Esroxni-xT.) SYDNEY, 31 ay j. \ verv serious position has developed atVremantlo. There was much fighting ■ there vesteruay between the police and : hugo mobs, authority seems to : } ia v o been successfully delicti. There was a strike at Fremantle a considerable time ago, and the wharves wore eventually worked and tho striko broken by voluntary workers, and the Government promised it would stand by the«e men who were known as Nationalists. Lately, the militant unionists have agitated strongly against the continued nrcseace of the Nationalist workers on the wharves, and they finally went on slrike. They declared they would allow no work to be done on the wharves until tho Nationalists w e ro removed The Government resolved that : the wharves should bo worked by the Nationalists, under police proto.-tio i and behind barriers. Tho trouble culminated yesterday when an attempt was made to-erect barriers Arrangements, carried out with a considerable degree of socrecy, had been made to bring a batch ot volunteets. from Perth to erect the barriers, and tho first intimation that tho lumper* intended to precipitate a conflict was when a number of motors soni" cf the volunteers was being driven ■ across the North Fremuntlo Budge, i where tliev were met witn a fusillade of stones from lumpers, who had concealed themselves behind the bridgo ( embankment. Oue of the cars .was, driven bv a lady, who, witn two others,, was hit on tho body by the mis-1 siles Some time later a launch with more volunteers was sighted, and a large body of lumpers assembled on the railway bridge Immediately it. was seen tnat the men premeditated trouble, police were despatched to remove them, out tliey were there in such numbers that the constables were powerless. The crowd, which included a number of women, were armed with missiles of every description. When th 6' launch passed under the bridere it was subjected to a* fusillade of stones and other missile 3, without, however, doing injury to the occupants. Having passed tho bridge tho launch proceeded on its way down stream. In the meantime the crowd on the road bridge had signalled to their comrades on the railway bridgo. A mixed crowd ran madly along the edge of the river bank, keeping paralled with tho launch, shouting to the men stationed on the bridge, "Not to let the 'scabs' pass." A squad of foot police had been despatched to the railway bridge armed with bayonets, but they were greatly out-numbered by lumpers and their sympathies, and were powerless to force the crowd from the bridgo. Three police attempted to make their way along the narrow footway, but tho crowd stood its ground and jeered at the constables. As the launch came within a stone's-throw a fresh volley or road-metal was hurled at the occupants, and as she passed underneath the bridge span great boulders and heavy pieces of iron were dropped on her deck. The launch was considerably damaged, one heavy piece of iron penetrating tne bridge dock. The occupants, however, escaped injury, but several had miraculous escaped. The remainder of the police had been formed up into two lines at the Cliff street end of the wharf, about 40 mounted men facing the Cliff street approach, near tlie Harbour Trust buildings, the foot police facing eastward towards the bridge.*. A few men witli fixed Bayonots had been hurried along to guard the eastern approaches to the wharf. At that time there were only about 200 lumpers congregated there, including the president of the union (Mr W. Ronton). These men offered no resistance to the_ police. Mr Renton himself took the initiative _in withdrawing his men outside the line formed by the mounted police. "Come on, boys," he remarked, "it is no use resisting." As soon as the launch passed safely through tho bridges the men and women who had beon storming it surged past tho police almost frenzied with excitement. and came charging down the wharf. The foot -police advanced to meet the surging crowd, a number of the mounted police being called to reinforco their comrades. CONFUSION AND DISORDER. Tho arrival of this new body of angry men and women was receivod with vociferous cheers by the other section of the lumpers, who were boing kept back by the mounted police, and the new arrivals were armed with all manner of weapons, including sticks, stones, pieces of iron, and small pieces of chain. Gradually the crowd wias pressed back by the polico. Several of the polico were hit with , the flying missiles, and they thereupon drew their batons, and used them on the men. For a time all was confusion and'disorder. As the men continued to throw stones the police retaliated. Men were seen to fall on both sides, and it was not long before several of tho polico and these men were trampled underfoot by the excited crowd. Early in tho encounter three policemen were disabled, two of tyiem receiving ugly gashes over their eyes. Eventually the lumpers were forced off • the wharf, and tho crowd then took up a position in the Fremantle railway yards, from which position they continued to hurl missiles. Both the president of the union and the secretary of the Trades Hall received in- ; junes in the conflict, and this, to- < gether with the fact that a returned • soldier hnd boen bayonetted, worked 1 the crowd up to such a state of frenzy that the situation had become desper- ] ate. Overwhelmed by superior num- i bf>rs. it was ronlised that the police ! could hold out no longer against tho * lumpers, unless either they woro provided ■nith reinforcoments or thoy were ' provided with weapons such as mighfc have an effect to overawe the crowd. | THE RIOT ACT. ! Up to this stage the majority of tho i police had only used their bayonets, : while the remainder were being pro- • 1 vided with rifles and bayonets. No ' t cartridges had been handed out to tho , men, but when things became desper- ] ate it was decided to read the lliot Act. 1 Cartridges were then handed oat to 1 that section of the police armed with j rifles, and these mon took up a position > facing the crowd. At this critical j • juncture Inspector Sellonger approach-•. i cd the mon, his . appearance being < greeted with cheers from a portion or , j the men He appealed to them to re- i , main quiet for ten minutes, and he ask- \ ed that their leaders should come for- "j ward and confer with tho Premier, t This was agreed to by the men, and ] the officer mentioned, after appealing to the men to remain calm, wont across and consulted with the Commissioner of Polico and authorities. It was pointed out that the Government was anxious to avoid any bloodshed. Mr McO.illum repliod that there was not the slightest hopo of keeping tho mefi back in their presont mood. If tho Premier would givo his assurance that no Nationalists wero left on tho wharf ho would go back and get the e consent of the men to agree to an 3 armistice for half an hour. By H J o'clock the crowd had reached enor- - mous. proportions. Immediately the plans of the Government had become known bellmen had boon despatched to j all the outlying districts, and every * minnto brongbt additional reinforce- ' ments. Those who had taken np a

stand at the Cliff street entrance wero anxious to effect a junction with tho large and more militant crowd assembled iu the railway yards. SHOTS FIRED. They were, however, shut off from their comrades for a time. Hie railway goods sued, which is surrounded with a high galvanised fencc, provided an effective barrier to their purpose, bub as the excitement grejv more intense several of the bolder spirits jumped the fence, and ran along inside the enclosure towards the station. As the mounted police were unable to effect an entranco to the enclosure tho rest ot the crowd scrambled over the fence, and it was not long before the two bodies had effected a junction. With this addition to their already large forces the crowd became even more hostile in their demeanour, and surged towards the police, once more armed with pieces of coal and stones. The women among the crowd appeared to be even more desperate than the men. They were in tho front ranks. The crowd, fully 2000 strong, advanced towards tii3 police, and the latter immediately charged, and were again met with a volley of road-metal and coal. Some of the mounted men also set their horses at a gallop towards the crowd, and in the encounter that followed several of the police and lumpers were injured. One of the latter, a returned soldier, sustained a nasty gash in the thigh as the result of a bayonet thrust. Several shots were fired ( by someone in the crowd, and a little later when the mounted men again charged along the goods shed enclosure, one of the constables was iired 'at twice in quick succession. , After further parley between the Premier, the Commissioner of Police, and the lumpers' delegates, Mr Colebatch said that if the lumpers would agree not to indulge' in further violence he would give his assurance that no more work would be done by volunteers that day. This was agreed to by the men's representatives, and on receiving an assurance that the volunteers would not be molested on the return trip up the river, the Premier and the whole of the volunteers tools their departure. At the conclusion of the melee Mr Dennis, vice-president of the executive of the R.S.A., addressed a largo gathering of returned men, who carried the following resolution: "That we as returned soldiers are prepared to defend the rights of the public against the tyranny of the present Government, and to avenge the blood of our wounded comrade." In the afternoon a body of about 4000 unionists paraded the main streets and wrecked the employment bureau on the wharf, destroying all the books. c Tn all. 115 casualties are reported, 26 of them being police. The strikers hope to involve the railunions in tlje attempt to keep the Nationalist workers off the wharves. General meetings of three railway unions will be held to consider the position. In the meantime the butter, meat potato, and sugar famine continues in Perth, and as all the four nor'-west cattle carrying boats are held up at r rem an tie, meat sunnlies cannot be brought down from Kimherley. |