NO PERMIT

Grey River Argus, 6 September 1930, Page 5

NO PERMIT

Address on Wharf MAN PKOSECUTED. XX ELLINGTO\ “September 2. A young nia n named Arthur Finch Marshall, was charged in the Police Court with addressing a crowd on the waterfront without a permit. He was convicted and ordered tn come up tor sentence it called on in tv-elve months. Sub-Inspector Lope-11 said Marshall seemed to ha\\» been distributing notices of a n unemployed demonstration to l»e held. He stoo on a stool and addressed a crowd of about 50 or 60 people. A wharf employee asked Marshall to stop, but to no effect, so ho tapped up the stool on which defend ant was standing. ?4ai/d :; all, asked why he had not sought a permit to speak, said he had not made application as he knew he would not be granted :• permit. Accused cros ■ examined the witnesses brought by the police, and told the Bene hthat the evidence as to h’S having distributed pamphlets would have to be ruled out because it did not provide sufficient proof. ‘‘This charge proves the class nature of tnc capitalist law,” said defendant. “The regulation is directed’/ only against members of the working class. It applies right through XX'ollington and it will pot allow speakers in the street-’. The permits are given to religious bodies and so on, but not to the working class. The only th ug is to get up and speak. Thi' ban must be broken d

down sooner or later, and the only way to brctik it is to brjeak it. Tha evidence that has beey put forward has been rather mixed. . . Every man ber of the working class has a perfect right to speak to his fellowmembers if he want* to. The law is to prevent any expression of working class op’nion.’” “It seems clear that I must convict the defendant. ’’ said the magistrate. “He has committed a breach of the by-law. 1 ’ Sub-Inspector Lopdell, disregarding a protest of irrelevancy by defendant, said Marshall had been convicted o‘J November 24 last of being in posse> sion of seditious literature and fined £5O. He had served three months’ imprisonment in default of payment. He had gone to the West Coast, where he was associated with the same kind of activities as formerly. It was obvious from Marshall’s attitude that he ignored the law. The magistrate: Marshall, I think you misinterpret the by-law laid down here. It is laid down to prevent the gathering of crowds, and so hampering the proper control of the wharves.