Attacked, Kicked In Face, Union Secretary Alleges

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29853, 20 June 1962, Page 9

Attacked, Kicked In Face, Union Secretary Alleges

(NZ. Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 19. George Adams, a trade union secretary, alleged in the Supreme Court at Wellington today, that when he attempted to gain admittance to a meeting of the Seamen’s Union in Wellington in December, 1940, he was assaulted and kicked in the face. • Adams, secretary of the Wellington Amalgamated Society' of Painters and Decorators, Display and Poster Artists’ Industrial Union of Workers, was giving evidence in support of his claim for damages of £7500 against Fintan Patrick Walsh, president of the Federation of Labour, for alleged slander. Mr J. H. Dunn is appearing for Adams, and Mr C. H. Arndt, with him Mr W. J, Kemp, for Walsh. Mr Justice Hutchison is presiding

The action arises from a meeting of the national council of the Federation of Labour on February 27 last when Walsh was alleged to have said: “Robert Adams was convicted of stealing from his fellow trade unionists and was similar to other people I had known in Butte, Montana, when scabs had got a friend of mine up at night, put a rope round his neck, then tied it to the back axle of a car and drove round the streets dragging my mate's body behind."

The defence is a complete denial that the words complained of were spoken and that if they were it was an occasion of qualified privilege. Owners’ Proposal Adams, in evidence, said that in 1932 the Government passed the National Expenditure Adjustment Act providing for a 10 per cent, reduction in wages. At that time he was an official of the Seamen's Union and the shipowners had put a proposal to the seamen for a 20 p-er cent, reduction At a meeting he tried to demonstrate on a blackboard how preferential rating would work with four candidates. About that time Walsh approached him and attacked a Mr Gibson and some of the latter’s friends, saying that Adams would never get anywhere if he was associated with them. Adams said he took no notice of Walsh. Adams said that since that, time he had had to defend himself continuously against attacks made on him in his absence at various stopwork meetings throughout the country In Wellington the members were in confusion due to lack of information from officials and rumours from other centres. Adams said he sent two telegrams to Westport and Greymouth, where the men were on strike. Expulsion Ordered Subsequently a report was presented to a special meeting in Wellington asking for his expulsion from the union, on the ground that he had sent false information to Greymouth, which he denied.

He was notified by post that he had been expelled. He said he was reinstated after Court action. In 1940. he said, he served a month’s imprisonment for theft of 5s worth of fish. Later he went to a meeting of the union in the Trades Hall for the purpose of ex-

plaining something about his conviction.

Walsh, who presided at the meeting, asked him to leave, saying he had been expelled Adams said he tried to speak but Walsh “howled him down” and the general secretary then jumped off the platform, "screamed" out to members that he would fix it, then left and returned with a police sergeant and a constable.

Adams said that when he showed the sergeant his union book the latter said he would have nothing to do with the matter and left Walsh then closed the meeting. Incident at Meeting Adams said he tried to attend the next meeting of the union but as he opened the door he was grabbed by the throat and pushed over to a wall. Not a word was said to him at that stage but one man kicked him while another held his throat. They all struggled and went down the first portion of the steps leading to the meeting hall. He was kicked in the face a number of times. There was blood over his face and he was unable to see. He went away, washed, and then returned. He was grabbed again, taken to the top of the stairway then released. Some money had fallen from his pocket, and when he went to pick it up he was kicked on the back of the head.

"riie police came along and asked What was going on Walsh told them that if they wanted to hear anything about it. they could see the Prime Minister. Warning by Police Adams said he did not send for the police but later he was told to report to the Mount Cook police station There a senior-sergeant told him that if he did not get a job within 24 hours he would be charged under the Vagrancy Act. He was also told to Tkeep away from the Trades Hall. Adams, cross-examined by Mr Arndt, said he had been a seaman in New Zealand from 1930 till he was expelled in 1940 He came to New Zealand from Australia. Mr Arndt: How did you come here!. Adams: I took a passage on the Maunganui and got 21 days for it. stowing away Adams, told by Mr Arndt that he would have known in 1940 that most of the fishermen in New Zealand were members of the Seamen’s Union, said he did not know. He did not know a cargo of fish was regularly shipped on the South Island ferry Mr Arndt: You can have no complaint about anyone having said you were convicted of theft or stealing? Adams: I have a lot of complaint His Honour: That is right. That question was much too broad. Mr Arndt: You know, of course, that though you were convicted of stealing fish, the property of the Union Steam Ship Company, the Union Company only have the interest of a carrier in the fish. It didn't own the fish? Adams: I didn’t know

Adams, asked by Mr Arndt whether it was likely that the fish he was convicted of stealing belonged to fishermen who were shipping it from the South Island, said he did not know

During subsequent crossexamination Adams agreed

that in August. 1934. he had sent two telegrams to a friend in Greymouth. Mr Arndt: The fact was that no men at Wellington had refused to take their ships to sea as stated by you in one of those telegrams Adams: They had. When the general secretary, on behalf of the union, wired the strikers on the West Coast that the majority was against the strike, what right had you. as a private member of the union not holding any office at all. to wire them information which led them to do the opposite?—l was like quite a lot of other members in Wellington at the time. We didn't know just what the position was anywhere. Confusion was created, I should think, more by the officials than by the rumours that were current coming in from other centres.

Adams, referred by Mr Arndt to - a meeting of the Seamen's Union to which he allegedly tried to. gain admittance, said he did not remember saying he would not leave the meeting when the chairman asked him to Mr Arndt: You didn’t leave when the chairman again ordered you to do so. Didn’t you say words to the effect that you were not going to leave?

Adams: No I wouldn’t say that. To make a statement of that nature with workers at the meeting would be asking for the workers to throw me out. The case will be continued tomorrow.