ALLEGEDLY SOLD SEDITIOUS DOCUMENT

Manawatu Times, Volume LII, Issue 3577, 7 April 1927, Page 7

ALLEGEDLY SOLD SEDITIOUS DOCUMENT

That Urged Workers Overthrow Capitalism

MAGISTRATE RESERVES DECISION

[Por Press Association.] - AUCKLAND, Last Night.

A charge of selling a document, “The Path ,to Power,” which encourages violence and lawlessness contrary to the War Regulations Continuance Act, was preferred against a water-side-worker, Walter Hodgson-, at the Police Court this morning. Mr. Paterson, who prosecuted, said the book did not openly advocate lawlessness and violence, but It did so insidiously and perniciously. The scheme of the book dealt with Parliamentary action and the constitutional methods of the Labour Party. The book considered that they would never get things done by these methods and urged workers to prepare for classwar. It was alleged that the book had a seditious intention. A copy of the book was bought by Detective Robertson at a Communist meeting. It was significant that the opening paragraph referred to the aims of the Communist Party as assisting workers in the struggle to overthrow the landlord and capitalist class. It , also , advocated that workers should use force to achieve their alms. Mr, Leary, fo r the defence, submitted that “The Path to Power” was merely a pamphlet of industrial and domestic discussion, and that this sort of thing was not considered when the war regulations were passed, “The. last legislation is now seven years .old,” continued Mr, Leary, "and the economic position that has arisen since the war does not matter now. So far as the war regulations are concerned, they have nothing to do with war. I submit that our own Subjects are entitled to discuss strikes, lockouts and other matters in the same way as they did before the war. If every temperately and well-expressed argument put forward by the Communist Party or Labour Party is to be the subject of prosecution by the Crown it will mean that the only vehicle of expression and ' education left will be secret discussion by the most abandoned criminals burning with a desire to break the back of society.” ' Mr. Leary said the general purport of the book went no further than to suggest that a .general strike, ?of course, accompanied with its attendant Inconveniences, was the .only way to emancipation. . ~ “There is no revolutionary situation anywhere in the book where bloodshed is advocated. The' book is mere, ly a reference to the economic crisis, Such discussions were never contemplated by the Act, The Magistrate reserved. his decision. - SACKS MISSING; MANY SOLD, MANY FOUND. SO MAN IS CHARGED WITH .'. THEFT. CHRISTCHURCH. Last Night. Charged with the theft of 1000 sacks, valued at £3l, Samuel ’Crawford Rpdgers. a middle-aged man, appeared before His Worship, Mr. Lawry, S.M., to-day. He pleaded not guilty and elected to go before a jury for trial. The evidence called in support of the charge was that many complaints had been received of sacks being missing, that accused had sold sacks on several occasions, and that a large number of sacks had been found on his premises. There was also the evidence of a neighbour that Rodgers had been seen abroad very early in the morning, He was committed for trial. FUGITIVE OFFENDER SENT BACK TO NEW SOUTH WALES. TO MEET CHARGE OP THEFT AND ASSAULT. CHRISTCHURCH, Last "Night, Charged that on February 1 at Sydney ha assaulted Stanley Clarence Twigg and robbed him of £l7 128, Percy Lee, alias Patrick Harris, aged 24, was ordered to be returned to N'SW South Wales. Detective Allan, of tho New South Wales police, stated that on March 3* he arrested accused who admitted his identity and in answer to a charge of theft said that It was not much use denying it. CRIME WAVE UNABATED IN AUCKLAND. AUCKLAND. Last Night. The wave of burglaries is still passing over Auckland unabated. Several business premises in the city and suburbs and a few private residences have been entered lately. Three shops were entered on Tuesday night. Only small sums of mony were taken.