DANGEROUS ORATORY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1939, 23 December 1913, Page 6

DANGEROUS ORATORY.

EDWARD HUNTEE BOUND

SPEECH AT NEWTOWN.

WHAT WEST COAST WOULD DO,

'l.'wo more strike orators appeared in tlio Magistrate's Court yesterday,- and both wore bound over to keep tlio'peace. One was, also, committed lor tnal .on a charge of .'having used seditious language. '

Edward Hunter was charged with'having uttered seditious words, as follow, at Newtown Park, on Sunday, December 1-1:- -:-m- ■

"You fellows must realise that if you aro going to control tilings properly you must have might bo-, hind you. You cannot do It with 4 a box of eigarottes and a match.' The strikers control the Coast": (meaning tho West Coast of -'tho South Island of Now Zealand), anu have set asido all lair and. order. Tlio men on 'strike were told by tho leaders that they had the freedom of tlio city there, and, having that; coidd do anything they thought fit! Tlufro is a Mayor in Westport, hut he has been set aside, and every-, tiling is controlled by the strikers;'! The.v (meaning the Government of New Zealand) can bring the specials (meaning special constables) round to tho Coast, in fact, we givo them a special invitation, and I swear this, in the name of tho party uiost concerned, that for everv -'one special tlio.v caro to put down on tiio Coast, up to one thousand, wo can put ono down beside him, just- as' good a man, and if this is going to be a contest as to who is going* to : control, then wo are'prepared to.' make it a contest. More than that,-

we men know that this (Jovorn--' ment is shedding blood. Wo. had J our fellow-workers, brutally miir-.;: dered in Wailii. Thero is :-io mio in- . stance from the workers' ranks/ where wo have caused any blood-/ shed. Now, if thoy aro going, to % shed our blood, why should wo look . pa jtfcjaur women sad ckil4:asJ»6iAc ,

and'oflerfbioi rotaliation ~;X Now, i t.j-i;..! h cy.ji-' .\y ail t: : ;a Jre volution :fSiv^ftthpyjr caivi force,; i%S Hfiii4us;fthcy£can;ilmTC^ '^MrSJiSS:;;^ br>;!eli:; ; v^ •ib<-Crowi:, and Mr. J*. J. O'liegan the i.dtfchdant:"-'/;?/'* v'--^ Counsel's Pica for Clcmency. toUjo-ljnvuHi'(Qvoi:Ho^keepUherp ; Wicc,Kl>ut'l Iha t"' 1 ' kts : aiiomalopiTOiulit!6n';flf : . tor.o|'sf His? home v. a-s in Di'iinistoi!. and iiiv.hiul not; Zea in tid He iiieiJKXa wmiMshaygyim flii: : that; the. Act vequirod ii-.i>: priiicipal' and the roissls ja li ! oi . xT.ho bond ■ and jtho Jsu rctiqs£W%eJl)eiiigJ Executed?: Counsel ,2 Mi'id-erstopd- . .thrst. -thoro' was .- a.'. repoai ; '.0!,, ibis 'anomaly'.'-, bo-' i pro'.;. ;tho«'Hojiste^lnstgiße^ passed. flo--'-discovered-.'.ihiv'difficulty that of Ba rkcr. !s':T)ie j j>ai)crs' bad -'lycon'sav-; . ing that- Barker was not- .able.''to 'get ' sureties, 1 if. Barker, were ; iii lie :could' get■ ;snrotiesSJ'^Tlie'st!-iii( ; i : iis"i)div:.off ) Mr." o'Rcgap,f aiidf.tlie are ■ materiallydifferent to 'what'- they' wore a . few - days' ; aco.'tf"R:.undorstand j that...Sir.:' Ostler ;ds£iiot Agoing.'.to press ] 1 for .a, heavy'; to j offer .Vof-i which he 'stands accused of .using, but I Hiiiik'that- 1' ain iusuficd in calling it '!iot air.' v It', was;, gross It is jiow comiiioii';:kiibivlcdijo-that tho state' and the law;lias been 'enforced on the Vest'' Coasts,;filitliink"?that,'>:in£all-tlie 'circumstances, »ctcn!eiK , y,,;jis,?/tlie> ! :. : : best : course for the Court : to : pursue.' ! ; ;

■ >• Mr.-: Ostler A/rherc" can bo ! ho"; doubtthat the language which-he. gayo'utterance to .is dan'gerous;i and tho-. Crown wishes it; clearly understood that, where a man uses , language- of this sort, in---citings to ..violence, he "will be proceeded against. Thero is this difference, however, .between ,this..case and the'cases against' the -striko'.'.leaders: . -Whereas the words uttered vby tho leaders werospoken to. audiences in a high, state of excitement, i;and,aSi'.it were, already drunk with' excesses' of violence,-- -tho .words.in„this, case were spoken-bya man who was not- a loader,- and to'an audience'sobered by. defeat. ■ and at. ft time when excitement in Wellington had somewhat subsided. ; - If it - had'-- been used-at Greymouth at. the.time!, (when, there, was ■: a .-.state., of • excitement", thoro) I .' should''Lh'ave'Vpresso'd.j;for ; is-üb.stantial sureties. ■- -iksr-J-- f's^ Thfl;Law in Such Gasc"s. - Tlio Magistrate:-. Wliafc'is the position" in Westport \ Mr. Ostler:,-As® far. asl. undei stand tlie strike is . Mr. O'ltcgan: :-That.- is ■- so,.'.'-but:? the mines will not- be working till after Christmas.' ;Mr. Ostler : Tho^.latest .. if oho can mention that, is that the land-.: ing of the twenty-five police sent-down to the Coast completely altered tho complexion of affairs .there.'A-,;f,-The Magistratels'■ ho 'going- back there?. '. Mr. Ostler: I understand so. . Ho has a wifo and several children there;----- ■■■ -. Tho Magistrate: Can't I remand him | to West-port?' Is thoro anything in the ' Act requiriiigVthe .principal -. ; party 'and tho sureties to bo together?' -..Could it be argued that that was repealed because it was unnecessary?- ■ 'iv Mr. Ostler: I liavo not looked into the lawvery, closely, but I have always/ understood that they must be- together.

■ .Tlio Magistrate: ■ The position is that first-you have to bind tho principal. Then.'you have'to find the sureties, but where is the necessity of their all being together, or tho object-'of'it, except, for tlio purposes of identification? . Mr. Ostler: .Tho form of recognisance soom-s to require that the whole thing should bo dono before, orm Magistrate at one time. ■ -.- ..■■■

The Magistrate ? If you look' at; Section 1C 'of the Justico of tho l'cace Act,, 1908, you will sec that it says. ."It shall not bo necessary for all tho parties to bo present at tho one time." ■ ■■■. Mr. Ostler: I will point, ottt that Section 154 only, deals with' recognisance to appear he for the Supreme Court on an indictable offence.. -. ■ The- Magistrate: As to tho amounts, ■ what bavo you to say, Mr. 1 Ostler ? Mr. Ostler: This man is not a leader, and''these words-'■were"'spoken* at tho tn.il end of the strike,;when tho people had sobered down. Hunter was bound over in a sum of £50 to keep-tho peace for six. months, and was required.to..find..two' sureties..of £50 eac-h. ■ - ■'. '*■ ' On a ehargo.of'having uSed seditious words",'# count arising out of the samo words, ■ Hunter was committed.;to'tho Supreme Court for trial. Another Orator Bound.' ' : Hubert Armstrong appeared respecting ail application mado by tho police' that he should/find sureties of tho 1 peace. Tho application.was made in consequence of the following words spoken by Armstrong in-' a speech made at Courtemiy Place on December 7 ■■■ "So far there- has not been a ■ special constable on duty in Greymouth: I, say this:- If special con- ... stables'.'.co'mc thcro ' armed with'.. ■ batons, we shall meetj tlicm ...with revolvers,' evi-n if i> '-costs us our . ■ livG3."- ; .

Mr. O'Eegan appeared for Armstrong.' and said that his client would agree to lie bound over. "Armstrong was a resident of Ruiianga, and was married. In the past, whenever there had been any difficulty'ho had always been to tho front in bringing about a settlement. On tho occasion.now in question Armstrong ' scorned to have . given way lo tho prevailing epidemic- 1 and spoken somo strong language; : Mr. Ostler said that tho information which he had agreed with tho remarks made by Mr. O'Begaii." Ho understood that Armstrong. had borne; a good reputation.;?'* :'' ■ Armstrong was required to enter into a-.£so"bond to keep the.peace,for six Month's, and to find two sureties.of £-30 each. V- ■ V'-?..' 1 V/i'f"'..,