NATIONALITY PROVED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15932, 1 June 1915, Page 5

NATIONALITY PROVED.

RUSSIAN TRADESMEN.

FRACAS IN A SHOP.

EPITHKT "GERMAN" OBJECTED TO.

A MisrxnsRSTASDiKC over the price of a paper led to a--scenc in a shop in Queen Street recently, in winch the proprietors were called " Germans." As a TisnW »( what happened, Walter On.ves was ilurged in the Police Court yesterday, before Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M., with having assaulted William Schneideman and Edward Burke, while .Mrs. Groves was charged with having used provoking and insulting language towards Max Schneideman. It was asked that, the defendants should be ordered to find sureties that they would keep the peace. Mr. P. McVeagh appeared tor th; complainants, the defendants, who pleaded not guilty, being represented by Mr. Allan Moody. In opening the case, Mr. McVeagh said that the Schneidevnans were in business in two shops as a limited liability company under the name of Schneideman Bros., Ltd. On Friday, May 21, Max Jacob Schneideman, who had been away in Australia for some years, and who used to have a shop in Wellesley Street adjacent to the one kept by the defendants, wanted to buy a copy of a weekly paper, which stated that the Schneidemans were Russians, there 'laving been rumours about that they were Germans, He accordingly went to the defendants' shop and purchased two copies of the paper. He gave Mrs. Groves two pennies, being unaware that each copy cost 3d, and he left the shop without being told that he had not tendered the full price. Request lor Fourpence.

Later in the day, continued counsel, a little girl came to the complainants' shop with a note asking for the balance of 4d. No oca in the shop— Max Schneideman not. being there—knowing anything about it, the girl went away without the 4d. Then Mrs. Groves herself came down, and, seeing Max Schneideman, demanded her 4d. Someone having said that he thought that.the girl had received the money, Max Schneideman said that he would make inquiries and if .it transpired that the 4d had not been paid to the girl he would send it up the next morning. Thereupon Mrs. Groves became very much excited, and, calling Max Schneideman a "dirty German," said that she would not leave the shop until paid. She went away, however, and then her husband came to the shop. He also was much excited, and, catching hold of William Sahiwideman, who was in the shop, called him a "dirty German." Edward Burke, chief salesman in the shop, went to William Schneideman's assistance. During a struggle between Burke and Groves the latter used some' offensive language. Counsel pointed out that this occurred on a Friday evening when there were many customers in the shop and large crowds in the street. It was just after the sinking of the Lusitania., and there had been anti-German riots in other parts of New Zealand. The defendants' conduct was calculated to cause a sarious tumult, and that no such tumult had taken place was due to the good sense of the people. Counsel went on to establish by documentary evidence that ths Schncidemans were Russian subjects, born of Russian parents, and subsequently natural >wd as Brjtisli subjects.

" Russian "—Not " German." J Sine* this episode, Mr. McVeagh continued, some person, not the defendants, had pasted up the word " German over the complainants' sign, "Russian tailors. Descendants of subjects of our allies should not, concluded counsel, be subjected to provoking language of this nature, calculated to make a disturbance such as had happened elsewhere. _ Max Jacob Schneideman bore out Ins counsel's statement of the case. He said that he was naturalised in 1911, having been born in Russia. When Mrs. Groves came into the shop and called him a - dirty German " she added that she would send her husband to deal with him. He heard' Burke say to Mrs. Groves : "Are you an Aucklander?" but ho did not hear him say: " Then I will take off my glasses and have a good look at you." Mrs. Groves was very indignant all the time. William Schneidenum, born in England of Russian parents, said that he was serving in the shop, when suddenly he was seized by Groves, who wanted to know what he meant by ' insulting his wife. Groves called witness, who had never seen Mrs. Groves, a "dirty German," and then attacked Burks, to whom " ? used an obscene expression. Witness went out to find a policeman, but die not succeed in doing so. Mr. Moody : Groves could have punched you if he had wanted to? ' Witness: I don't know what I should have been doinj if be hd. Edward Burke said tint, knowing something about boxing, he' was not hit byGroves. He exchanged verbid compliments with Groves. Previous to that, when Mrs. Groves stared at him, he stared back, and seemed to have won the staring match, for she went away"Storm in a Teacup."

Mr. Moody submitted that the whole affair was simply a storm in a teacup. Mrs. Groves took offence at Burke's staring and Burko was pointed out to Mr. Groves, who as very excitable, as the man who had insulted his wife. The-complainant had nothing to fear in the luture, and had attained their object by proving themselves to be naturalised Russian subjects, and not Germans. Mr. Fvazer: The affair certainly arose over a trivial misunderstanding. If the defendants express their sorrow, there might be an end of it. Mr. McVeagh said that he had offered to accept an apology and cost-, but had been told that the case -'ou!'l be fought out. I This, Mr. Moody poiir =■. i, was beI cause five guineas had b« .n 'fked for as costs, which was more thin the defendants could afford. His clients, however, were prepared to withdraw all that had been said if Burke also withdrew. Mr. Frazer said that at first he though', that perhaps the complainants were merely attempting to advertise the nationality of their firm, but after hearing the evidence it was clear that there was substantial ground for their action. It was beyonu all doubt that they were Russians. TiiO origin of the trouble was trivial. Regret having been expressed by the defendants, the case would be dismissed upon the payment of costs amounting to £4 Bs. Term of Opprobrium.

His Worship added that this case was nothing like the recent assault case at Hamilton, and he expressed the hope that the citizens of Auckland would not bring disgrace upon their city by riotous behaviour, or by the destruction of property belonging either to Germans or to those who bear foreign names, but are not Germans. The word " German," he added, seemed to be a synonym for anything mean, and not to be used only in respect to nationality.