COMMUNISTS GAOLED.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 23 December 1924, Page 9

COMMUNISTS GAOLED.

FOR. SELLING A BOOK.. exOitemeNt IN POLICE COURT. MAtHSIIUTE’S. SCATHING ./• REMARKS; , : Two Cpmtnunists, Oswald Bourbeau and., Evaii Jf>bii Thomas, [were sentenced to terms of im-prisb'h-ment By Mr; .J, W., ..Poyiifcon, S.M., .at the Auckland Police Court last- week oil charges of fieliing/./a book entitled* “Tlie A.B.C. of Oammuriisnij” a hook which encouraged violence and lawlessness. "* . 1

, Bouibeaii appeared pn two charges, vyhile,. Thoihas was charged with the one .information biily. They each pleaded not guilty, and conducted ilieir own cases. Chief Detective Ciimniings rirosecuted. ,

. The first- witness was Laurence Wilsdii,' -a. jiblice cbii&tabfe, j-who stated thAt-he. ,saw : both accused at 2.30 p.m. on Liinday,. Nov y eni-ber 23, at tlieir usual place dl : meeting iii Quay Street. "Witness asked Thohias the price, of the book, and he said that it was ,3s. - However, witness bought books- for. ss. • ;-Bourbeau.-. gave him the books-, - and Thomas received the money. Thomas also gave him the paper known as The Workers Weekly. i

. The Chief Detective then referred -Mr.. Poynton to several passages in the. book. Detective Nalder., also gave evidence in... re spect .to the other charge Bourbeau. That was the, case. , , . Mr, Poynton.; Now,, Bourbeau, yo.u crii explain, if you like, , that this Book is a . harmless, innocuous little book or. tract. . Bdurbeaii; What’s that! Noxious! What next?,,... . , S; . ■/'. / “ Mr. Poynton: Np, iniiocubus. . Bpjirbeaii: Oh, I thought yoii said noxious:. : ~ ~ asjeed to take the, Bible in KisMiand and . take the. beau refused, and tossed it aside, at the same "time , grinning and reinarkr ihg, ‘‘That’s, what j think of., that.” Then he gaye evidence of affirmation, and immediately set about to. make a speech on jCommunishi. ;...' Pie was warned not to makpia speech, but continued, and was allowed 'considerable latitude until pulled up by the magistrate, .who said, /*‘Look, here, Bourbeau )f this court is a fountain and .hot a sewer; you must keep to the- point.” . . .-. Bourbeau; Phew! I’m making my defence.

Mr, ; Poynton : Well j. we . are •, not concerned -. with the merits of Bolshevism- of Csdmhiunistic propaganda..., . Bourbeau; Well, I will prove that worse - .things than ! are in this .book have Appeared in the Herald , and Star. I’hi editor of the.Cbmmuhist Weekly, but I suppose I’ll be iii>;cholcey spon, ,He was theii . perhiifcted to read many passages- from his. . book,;. but after, patient; .hearing . Mr. Poynton said: ‘‘This sort; of thiiig is quite inconsistent with our democratic . ideas. You must show that this book does not advocate violence” ’ •

Bourbeau; Well; show me the violent parts. , Now., look here, • what does the Communist party stand for? Mi-.; Poynton': Oh, you cannot go on like this; I don’t mind if you only keep to the point. - ; However, Bourbeau refused to do this , and'shook his fist, stamped, Anc! brought down his hand .on . the magistrate’s desk. .He persisted in arguing with the magistrate : and hurling, all sorts of remarks. Bourbeau then took up, a most: definite attitude until he was ordered out of the box, ” : ■ THOMAS GIVES ‘ ‘EVIDENCE, ’ ’ Thomas then went into the box. He was a little. more subdued than liis ‘‘comrade,” but he, too, would riot keep to the point'. Holding up the “A..8.C. of- . Communism,” he said, proudly, ‘‘lffis book is a scientific analysis of. the. capitalistic system and society-—r” Mr. Poynton : vTliat’s ,oriri long yell; please keep to the point.

. Thoiriai: After the fall of the slave stated feudalism— Mr. Poyiiton: We are only concerned with the legislation. of this country. You are going back ages now; ’ . . : Thouias: I Will .show you that Comlrmnisrix—— Mr.; Poyiiton : We clou t want your stuff about Coiriihunisrii. Can you show me a single paragraph in the book which does not iadvocate violence. There was silence for about ten miriiites while Thomas was looking for the priragraph, ; until lie found one; but Mr.: Boynton smiled , when the words - 1 ‘‘merciless siippreSsiori’ ’ arid “fislit” were Trieritioned. ■ . - Mr. Poynton : ; I think we . will have to count you out, Thomas. Yon can’t find one. , , ; Thomas then coiriVncnced to “strafe” the Labour Party., Mr. Poynton: Don’t you want to obtain progress by. constitutional means, or by peaceful means. The Labour Party, is peaceful. Thomas: What’s the Labour Party, anyhow---, . . . Mr. Pibypton : You. ape "talking rubbish, Please keep tp the point, , i Bouubeau,. .who-, was . intjrijeeting from ...the. body of .., the , said : “What do you say. .This is rubbish.” .... , Mr. Poynton::. Keep .quiet, you have had your. say. . . .. . , Thomas :. 'What’s behind., the, Parliament. of this country. ... Capital owns arid runs the navy and army. Air. Poynton;: Thisbook is orie lopg sustained, incitement to violence. What do yve.want- a Red party in New Zealand for?.,, Thomas: Oh, I’ll show you why we should Jiave a. dictatorship here , Bourbe'au: Yes, and I’ll show you, too.- Let .me get. into the box, Mr. Poynton: Keep quiet or you ivill he put out-. Thomas then spoke .of the smashing up. .of the Labour Party. Mr. Poynton : Stand down, Thomas, we. have had.enough. If this is the A.B.C. of Communism, what would the X.Y.Z. be?

Thomas::, Well, the workers will one day run this country for the good of humanity. r Mr., Povnton : Oh, rot. Chief Detective, Cuinmings: What office ..do you hold in the Communist party? Thomas: I am the general secretary. _ , And what is Bcurbeau. —He is the president. You were convicted and fined £25 for a, siriiilar offence Some time ago? —Yes. The court can do anythirig; it lias the power. This- prosecution won’t stop us. Mr.. Poyiiton : Now. Bourheau, can you show me a paragraph which does not. incite violence?—Yes., Well vori can get into the box again.—Right-o”. As. soon as he re-entered the wit-ness-box. again Bourbean was no better. arid .in the-end he had to be ordered down again. Before He; .went, however, he was asked by the Chief Detective if he

had -stated that he would not abide l|y . the laws of the country or by the magistrates or police? , That lie denied, stating that he said he did not agree with the preseni differ of. things, and that he would riot tolerate it any longer. “NOXIOUS INDIVIDUALS.” “The book is a. long-sustained shriek of tlie usual Bolshevik pitch,” said Mr. Poynton. “It might-‘have been written by a homicidal maniac, so liiaiiy-, .are its incitements to violence- aiid threats of massacre;. The ‘bifftHerKood of ffian,’ so much mouthed about by those exponents of the doctrine, hiust be of the canuibalistic yariety—a longing for another missionary—the fatter the better. “It miigbt be considered that its naviiigs are- too absurd/to ■be taken notice ‘ of;, but ex-perieiice has sliown that -such poison acts like strong drink on savage or ill-balanded minds; leading to grave results. . . -

( “Tlie recent happenings in Esthonia are an. example of the doings of these gebtle lovers <>f mankind, who profess to abhor all war, but preach and practise the deadliest form of. that abomination, civil arid class war. ~ “A cdriimuiiity ■ free from rabi©:* • would look, with horror oii "its introduction, but a rabid anilrlal is not so cla-rigerous; as- a. man spreading vettoiii of this", description. A fanatic affected with its virus worild be capable of doing riibre mischief than any mad dog. Britain, to her honour and glory, has for centimes, 'afforded a. safe asylum to- the oppressed of ia-11 lriv tions. They have amply repaid her iii splendid services to the State, ami later to the Empire.- Some of our best colonists were ■ fdreigriers. Recently, however, many of our' guests are /hired- assassins, whose mission, as paid hirelings; -of our eneinies, is to sow discord -amongst ,our people .with the object of ultimately .destroying u«. The accused appears., .to be-, one of these noxious individuals. With our ballot,, .adult suffrage, free and high standard of education,/, almost Sure British" stock, .and ancestral itibiis, ;we. ,cari work put...our own destiny whether it,ffe Bolshevism ;pr a[iiy other -‘ism,’ without the impertinent .interference .of fanatical,, antiBiitish hlobd-thirsty alien®. If a mari is the guest of a family and - startff to turn the father ’'against his brother against. ; "brother,. the proper thing to do- : is to .show' him the cloor. How British; poirinirihities will tolerate so iong ;t-his,-foul brood •- of noxious , reptiles passris rindei'Staiid:irig.’’ ' - /,; ■.

, Mr. Poynton. said that .as Thomas had been fined before,, it .was regain, fining hini. , s As. for Bourbeau, he was a foreigher, land , his, was tlie more' .serious offence: Bourbeau,: would be sent to- gaol fqi; three montn/5;.,/and Thoma-s to two months’ imprisonment.