SEDITIOUS LITERATURE?

Evening Star, Issue 20316, 26 October 1929, Page 12

SEDITIOUS LITERATURE?

CHARGES AGAINST COMMUNISTS (Pii: Uxited Pbess Association'.) WELLINGTON, October 23. Raids made by police officers on the premises of the Communist Party in Wellington in July and August last resulted in four men—Richard Griffen, Arthur Finch Marshall, Gordon Edward Munro, and .William Murphy—being charged in the Magistrate’s Court today with having literature in their possession of an allegedly , seditious character. There were two charges against each of the defendants relating to possession of the following books: — ‘ Communism and Industrial . Peace,’ ‘ Defence of Communism,’ ‘ Mond Moonshine,’ ‘World Trade Union Movement,’ and ‘ Letter to I.W.W.’ Higgins was also charged with having sold to George Thomas Deakin ‘ Communism and Industrial Peace ’ and other publications advocating violence or expressing seditious intention. Mr Page, S.M., was on the bench, the Crown Prosecutor (Mr P. S. K. Macassey) prosecuted, Mr H. El. Cornish appeared for Griffen and Murphy, and Mr 11. J. V. James for Munro. Mr Macassey contended that the publications were such as would tend to promote ill-will and hostility between the different classes of the community, and also advocated violence.

Evidence was given by police.officers who had attended meetings 'of the Communist Party. In this connection Constable Deakin stated that at one meeting it was suggested that the members of the Police Force be approached with a view to winning them over to Communism, but a member of tho party objected that it would not be wise to approach the police. The only way to deal with them would be to go to them one by one and knock them on tho head. (Laughter.) The magistrate reserved his decision.