LAW AND ORDER

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 147, 18 December 1913, Page 3

LAW AND ORDER

SPECIAL CONSTABLES' SERVICES HARBOUR BOARD'S TRIBUTE. The special constables wore, at last night's meeting of the Harbour Board, accorded warm praise for the manner in which they rallied to the industrial rescue of the country during the strike. The first reference to the matter was made by the Chairman (Mr. R. Fletcher), who said that a number of. residents particularly from the Wairarapa, Manawatu, and other country districts, had come to the &,id of the board in the maintaining of law and order. The Defence Committee had approached him and recommended that there was now no necessity for the foot specials to patrol the wharves, and consequently the mounted men at present had charge. He would call upon Mr. M'Farlane to move a resolution giving official recognition by the board to the services of the specials. Mr. A. M'Farlane moved :—: — "That this board place on record its appreciation of the valuable services rendered by the special constables who assisted in the maintenance of order on the waterfront during tße industrial trouble, thereby enabling the work of the port to proceed, and that a copy of this resolution be conveyed to the proper authorities for transmission to the officers and men who <\amed out the aforesaid dntiea." Speaking to the motion, the mover said it was only the board's duty to pass such a resolution. , Great credit was roflected on the men " from the country and specials generally for the manner in which they had kept law and order. Mr. M: Cohen seconded. In doing so, he said that when one reviewed the past few weeks he could not help but be struck by the moderation and discipline displayed by the specials during the early stages of the strike. Mr. C. E. Daniel said that an impression had gained currency that the board did not appreciate t>he services rendered by the specials, and he was glad that the motion had been brought forward. M. J. Trevor thought the Government should also be thanked, for had it not done its duty the specials would not have come forward " m such a hurry." ' The Chairman, referring to Mr. Daniel's remarks, said there had been a great deal of misapprehension regarding the Harbour Board s attitude, For the people did not understand the position. He nad heard a great, deal of the bins ol omission by the board, but no one had been able to tell him oxactly what the sins of omission and commission were. The time would come a little later when all the ", washing-up" had to be done, and he was quite satisfied that he would come out "pretty clean," for he was sure that he would be able to convince | the public that he had not made a I false move right through. i Mr. Trevor rose to his feet to move that ■ the ■ Government be thanked for the prompt action it had taken, but wai ruled out of order, the chairman remarking that it had only done its duty, and the motion applied to the men who had volunteered for special work. The motion was then put and carried uuanimously> CHARGE AGAINST ROBERT SEMPLE > THE- RAID ON WATERSIDERS'. OFFICE ARRANGEMENT BETWEEN POLICE AND PICKETS. (BT TELEGRAPH— PBE6B ASSOCIATION.) AUCKLAND, 17th December. At the Magistrate's Court, before Mr. F. V. Frazdr, S.M., this morning, Robert Semplo, organiser of the United Federation of Labour, was charged that at Auckland, on 30th October, he incited persons to resist special and regular police in a speech. Sergeant Rutledge said that when the strike started over 100 uniformed police were brought into Auckland. Witness proceeded to refer to the raid on the office of the waterside workers and the finding of batons and other articles there. He produced several small clubs well weighted with lead, and a shanghai, which he declared to be the most dangerous of the lot. Cross-examined, Sergeant Rutledge said he considered when he saw the strikers drilling that they were getting ready for action. Mr. Skelton : " Were the men not favourably disposed to the uniformed police ?',' Witness : " They had to be. We were the strongest force." Mr. Skelton : " What ! One hundred police were stronger than 8000 to 10,000 strikers?" Witness: "We held the balance of power* when the specials arrived." Mr. Skelton: "But for a fortnight before the specials arrived?" Witness: "From the very beginning I believe the police /were in a position to have held the wharves." Mr. Skelton : " The men were wellbehaved, and there was not one act of aggression." Witness : "It was arranged that there should be no trouble. I believe there was an arrangement between Superintendent Mitchell and Semple that pickets should not be interfered with." Similar evidence was given- by Detectives Hammond and, Hollis, Sergeant O'Grady, and Constables Waugh and Cunnon. \ Mr. Skelton said he would rely almost entirely on a legal defence, and submitted that the assault would have to be committed at the time to create the offence; further, that there was no evidence to show that the subsequent strike incidents were the result of this speech, and that at the time the specials had not been created, and therefore were , not in existence to be clubbed. ' After Mr. Tole had addressed the Court in reply the Magistrate reserved his decision until Saturday, when the other charge (that of sedition) against Semple will be heard.