ROTHBURY RIOTS

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19812, 27 December 1929, Page 9

ROTHBURY RIOTS

WHEN THE POLICE FIRED

BI.UK DAY IN INI>I STKIAI HISTORY.

i l'« i OHJfciSrONPFM S\I>NKY, TVeeinlier 1•' No; -nui' tho war has an> thing «tirred Australia *o much a* did tlxfatal riots that not tirred on tho muthern unil tiolils Inst Monhtv It was indeed a black day in tho hist or v <>l tho industrial movement ot tho I otnmotiu oaith. anil tho hist «»I it will not lie hoard for many voni-s to oom<\ For months the minors had threatened in el and ovor again to resort to violent e. hut they seemed so content Willi a poiicv ol passive resistance that these throats wont for nought When it- »a« announced last Satnrilav thai tho minors had decided on a > ol mass picketing to prevent the manning of tho Hothhnty nnno hy Inv lahoiu . under tho au.spiivs ol 01 tho X.ile Government that the miner- moihl oonoont r.i to over night little notice was taken. Then. suddenly. nowcame of tho serious not. and tie nation *vas stunned.

Homarkahlo woncs prooodod I lio a<tu al riot imi. All thronc.h Sniidiiv nijiht K'< >at parties ot mmoi-s ooii vorpfd on tho Rotlibvirv pit trom all parts of the South Maitland ooal(io!ds Thoy wont noriuss tho hilly roads Hi hired oars and buses and eoal Inn ios . every means of eotivoyanoo was prossoil into servioe iust as thoii|;li some vast anny was on the moie to meet a sudden invasion hy a hostile foioe. Ibo vanguard pitched on nip on a lonely part of the road dioiit a mile from the oolliorv p,ntea. At *2 a.m. in tho pitch dark rninp tires wore lit all-over the count rysido until about t>o or ■ 0 <>t those were burning, and the whole ot the vallc. »vas dotted "«itli i*ed glares." Ar.nind fires groups ot minors sj>ent ibo night, sonic singing and soino listening to addresso*

Men Mass at Colliery. Then. at dawn i .uno tin* general massing of the men. and a vast human tide of miners swrpt down the road that lends to the colliery. Some »»f the more militant, spirits were uttering threats. but were restrained by the older men, who are now prepared to admit that they saw the danger into which tliev were all drifting. M<»st of the miners, who had been warned to bring food supplier to last them tor a day a' least, carried their crit> tins and many of them had water hags. Ihe men were not armed. They earned no sticks of any sort. Nevertheless, their anger increased as they marched on. and it was to bo seen that gradually the militants comprising young men for the most part- were -• < ni ing the upper hnrul. Soon after dawn tn*' miners' army had inrronscil to about (>00() men. Against them, hut inside the colliery gates, there was a mere handful of police. The opening charges by the yomigei and restless element, which started the whole conflict, were made bv crowds ot from 200 to 300 of the wildest spirits. Thev broke .down the fence on tlie mine property and attacked on a front of about 100 yards. The rush down the hill carried the men about >0 yards inside the mine property. Sergeant Thomas, the Horatms wlio was charged with the task of holding the irate had with him as bis immediate first' line of defence about '2O or 30 constables. He looked at the hog' crowd, whose loices rum hunt like thunder. Then lie looked at. hi* little bund of calm and determined men. Behind them was a line of trucks, and the pittop works were :«>0 yards back. There lav a property of incalculable wealth tliat had to be protected at all costs. And there can lie no doubt that tlio main object of the howling niob was to destroy the mine so that it could not he worked. Tt had to be rememltercd, too, that, within the property there were many free labourers whose blood was sought. It was for the police to protect their lives. Thus a dramatic moment had arrived.

The Storm Breaks. Following the lead sot by the wilder element, the crowd surged across tho road like a tumultuous army, and the police were soon confronted by the first line of the angry miners who were, by now, armed with sticks and stones. There waa an intense parley which lasted for about two minutes. Superintenflent Beattie. who was in charge oi the police guard, stopped forward. "Now, men, you can t come on.'' he said quietly. *"(io back, mid do not cause any trouble." A rustle of voices thai swelled to a roar answered every exhortation by the police to move back over those critics! fifty yards of scrub ground. "We want to get at those scabs you have there," they yelled. "No, men. You can't get in," was the police comment. From that very moment it was win . Stones began to' fall like hail. They rebounded from the police -helmet*. Then. the more irresponsible element rushed in in a hand-to-hand struggle. The strength of the defence was severely tested. Batons met sapling*, and the clamour and the cries of pain and the torrents of abuse turned the little valley into a bedlam. There was no time to talk or give instructions to meet the emergency. The police are emphatic that they were forced to fire with the greatest grimness to save thmsetves from being overwhelmed and trampled upon by the immense weight of the iiuml»ers they were opposing. As it was many of the police tell, overwhelmed by the pressure that was increasing every minute. The fusillade of stones swept like • torrent against the police force. The fighting became a bitter struggle The miners had to go back behind the line, where the fence used to be. The miners continued to hold an immense advantage because of their numbers, and it was only when the mad attack was renewed that the police drew ihe.r revolvers- and used them. The police are. emphatic that they did not take their revolvers out until the weapons were necessary to save their own lives. Their position was desperate, ami bn<l to be met with desperate action. And so It came about that miners were shot, one fatally, and two a l lea>t critically wounded. The Question of Guilt. "Who began it.'' m always s question when evil things have befallen a* they did at Hothbury on that bloody Monday morning. It lias been stated fairly definitely in sonic quarters that the miners fired the first shots, but this is strenuously denied by the miners' officials, and notably by a Labour member of the State Parliament, who has said that he was an eye witness of the whole of the three battles. Hut here is a story by one of the pressmen, alto an eye-witness—one of the very few pressmen who did see the fighting—the others were held up by the miners for three hours:

"The grey army win ii-cn loppling over the hill and pouring down to tho colliery. Police at vantage point* guv« the warning and foil back. About 20 police, under Nuporintendenf Heat tie, ranged themselves in light rover about. 50 yards within the fence. The firat rush they attempted to stuin without recourse to arms. Thov wort: forced back, and, withdrawing their baton*, they clubbed the men. During this affray three shots were fired by the miners. . .

One landed between Kergcant Moore'a fret, the »ffO!id spattered Hcrgeant Munday with dust, and the third pawed between the two of them. "Out with i your gun* (mil into them,' *»id one of I lie police, an,| Niiperintcndent Beattle called out, 'No. Don't fire.' Bergeant Moore had worked him way up to the fence, driving the attacker* before him, :iiid wn« attacked from liehind, being knocked to the ground with a bludgeon. Hnlf n dor.cn, with stick* and atonea, commenced to club him mercile**ly. Tha Bergennt "a cries of pain brought l>eteetive Sergeant Ryan running to hi* *>aaistniK'c. Hjnn dashed into the melee, but lie, too wm knocked down by the men. There were menacing cries, and Hupcrintcndent Brattle, aeeing the position, gave the order to fire. . . Previously the police had been instructed to tire only into the air or into the ground, and now the automalic* came out, and along the serried police line* swept the inttle of th# volley.'' A Six-Hour Battle. The not ceased nlmo»t a* suddenly aa it started. By 11..10—nix hour* after the trouble had commenced -all WM quiet once again. The miner* had gon* homo, and. M.roug police reinforcement* were on their way to Rothbury from all part* «if the Mate. Early in the afternoon there was not a alngle picket to be *een within mile* of the mine. Still there wa* no feeling of security. It wan regarded aa moat unlikely that the mirier* would drift right hack to their policy of passive resistance at the flrat show of force ngainnt them, Humour* of all sort* have been in circulation, and no one known what it behind toe secret meetings of miners that hava been held aince the riot. There ha* been a. great struggle between the militant and moderate element, and tt is impossible to aay yet which aide haa won. It is certain, however, that tha moderates had a big victory at a combined meeting of miticrit that, wa* held at (Vaanock on Wednesday night. At. that meeting a proposal wa* made that a special committee should be appointed to collect rircnrin*. A heated diaeiiwlon followed, the extremist* making fiery speeches. In the end the moderate! won out, and the motion wa* defeated. It, lin* been atated since, however, that the phut hn* not b«en rejected by thoaa who fathered it in the !lr*t place.

Feeling throughout the coal field* la tense. The whole population is on edge, wondering wlmt is going to happen. And there is n feeling that should further rioting occur it will be much more serious than tliwt which took place on Riiturdav. While thrv w«r§ returning from the funeral of the vie* tiin of Monday '« fight many of tht miners pawcl Kofhbury, where the police were on guard, and they railed out, "You in ut defers." and hut led vnrinu* other epithets at them. Then by way of a parting shot they cried, "We will return, sml we won't h«v« only our bare fist*." Police throughout the coal areas have to tolerate th« most rhosive treatment from the miners, and the chances are that an tiglr situation might develop at any time. There are now more than 30(1 poliea in cstnji at !!«>( liburv When the irat attarV was miide the police found that they were short of ammunition, but this litis been rectified. Field telephones ha ve Keen Installed at vanoun points, enabling tapul eommuniratla* with the • smj> headquarters, Tli* P<MiiUon at PraMnt. Of iiiuisc. the I'r line Minister (Mr Si iillni ) iirid the Premier of New Smith Wale* (Mr Rrvirrt sre in direct couth- 1 over what had hiippciied at Mothbtiry, and Mr flavin went so far •• to refuse to lake part in the compulsory conference Hint, was called, immediately the fatal riots had occurred. It was tit this < '.nfcrc nee that the proposal was made for a Federal subsidy, which meant that the general taxpayer would have to pay the burden, which the miners h»\e refused to shoulder. Mr Bavin sav« that he is tired of conferences on the coal situation, and that he is going ahead with his policy to work the mines with free labour--that is, the mines whieh have been secured for the purpose hv the State three hi number, Itcplymg to Mr "■»> nllin's criticism of hi* attitude, Mr Ravin aaid: "I am responsible for rnv actions not to Ihe T'utrie Minister, but to the people of the State, " Meanwhile t he remarks of -lodge Keeby, who presided at the latest conference, are of particular In ten M 11c said; "I think thlif the present dispute is founded on an il legality, that is on the combined effort to reduce wage*, without the author ity of one of the tiiburmls created by the State and federal laws." And now Austin ha waits for the nest move in this dramatic, long drawn out strupe'e. fearful all the time tluit there is worse to follow.