BATTLE WITH RIOTERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20105, 16 November 1928, Page 17

BATTLE WITH RIOTERS.

POLICE FIRE ON MOB.

FOUR STRIKERS WOUNDED.

CLASH AT MELBOURNE

'A serious clash between unionists and police occurred at Prince's Pier, Port Melbourne, on November 2. A menacing mob over 1000 unionists, who gathered at t ho picking-lip place, rushed the I'.-and q liner Chitral, on which volunteers were working, but they encountered a number c f police, who wero compelled to draw jtlicir revolvers and lire on the mob. l'\uir men dropped a.j the shots woro Ifiird. The mob, howling, catcalling and hooting, was stopped instantly by tho (iglifc of lour wounded men. Oiio stevedore was shot through tho Heck, anothei in the shoulder, and another in the arm These wounded men were afterwards taken to tho Melbourne Hospital, but the fourth man, who apparently was not, seriously hurt, was taken

»way by friends. Before the tiring ouurred sumo of tho junb broke through tho guarded entranco lo the pier. There they were joined by jollier unionists, who wero coaling the Btearner Port Adelaide, on which volunteer (Stevedores wero working. An attempt made to rush the ship. Seeing tho flanuer, tho chief oflicor drew his revolver mid the storming party retreated. Tho band of 23 police, under Sub-In-spector Mossop, who wero guarding tho entrance to the pier, found themselves hopelessly outnumbered and there was no alternative but to draw their revolvers. •The position would have been most serious had tho strikers gained control of the pier. Leaders Inciting the Mob. Conflicting accounts wero received of the Incidents which led to the storming of tho pier, but from statements made from ono of tho wounded men and by polieo tho 'trouble was caused when strikers attempted to attack a volunteer near tho pick-up place at Prince's Pier. If, was understood on tho previous night that, tho agents for the P. and O. steamer Chitrai, berthed at I rince s Pioi, would attend tho pick-up ground on tho morning of November 2 to engage licensed men for tho vessel, so tnore than 1000 men gathered there in anticipation of obtaining work. However, it is said that no officials turned up to engage the men, arid so incensed were they at this action that they agreed to set out to thrash tho volunteers who had been employed else-

.where. Liftlo notice was at first taken of tno men's approach to tho entrance to tho pier, but as they came nearer many used abusive languages toward the police, who lined up in a "body, with five mounted troopers behind, guarding tho entrance. .With batons drawn, tho police endeavoured to persuade tho strikers to return to tho pick-up placo and avoid trouble, but tho leaders, who wero evidently incilinc tho mob to violence, refused. Suddenly there was a rush by about 2.0 of the stevedores, who endeavoured to break past the police flank. I hreo constables however, rushed across w front of (hem and drove them back In the meantime the number of strikers was swelling from all parts of • tho waterRetveatuig slowly the police managed to keep an unbroken line, supported by the troopers, I ill they found themselves 50 yards from tho entrance. Mnnv of the strikers had their pockets Tilled with pieces of road metal, several piles ot which had been stacked by council employees about. 100 yards from tho pier. Sanguinary Fighting. For the next half-hour the police waged a pitched battle with hundreds ot unionists, who used every means within reach to break up tho lines. As fast as tho police broke up tho front line of attackers others would move up, but tnc police used their batons to such good purpose that only the most violent of the strikers attempted to break through. When the police began to fight with their batons the strikers retaliated with a barrage of blue metal, and tlicy kept ierewiiig their stock of this material from Ihe dump along the road, as well as fiom the railway, whero they picked up heavy stones and pieces ot metal from between the. rails. Though good work was done hy 'lie troopers, it was m »t long before the police found themselves hopelessly outclassed. Reinforcements were not. forthcoming. More than ffl strikers broke past them, and raced along the pier to the ( hifral, whoso gangway was hastily drawn up bj tho ship's crew. Tho strikers then rushed across to the other side of tho pier, and threatened to board Iho Port Adelaide, but here they met with opposition, an officer of tho vessel holding them back 011 the gangway with a revolver. .

Twice Kuh Inspector Mossop, who had drawn his revolver, warned tho unionists (hat the police would fire, but each time Ins warning was replied to with a shower of stunes. But for their helmets many coirs tables would have been rnoro seriously injured. Three or four were seen to F.ill, their helmets battered to pieces with blue metal. Constables Severely Injured.

• 'nc constable, who was struggling with nrie of tho attackers near the edge of tho nier. fell bleeding from a wound in the tiead, having been struck with a large piece of metal, As he lay unconscious ori |ho pier a striker was seen to kick birn on the body. Swinging his baton, a trooper dashed to tho fallen man's assistance, and drove off the attackers. A few seconds later another constable, who had become separated from tho remainder of tho parly, was hit in the tare with a piece of metal. His left eve w.is almost closed, and his mouth and cheek were liiccrated.

M<.rr tinii !/() shots were fired info tho rur !iv Mil) I'H'!;' c, iiihl ?or a time litis had ;i si 'lm iil elf-el. fti many <"• f I lie strikers, wbii began in retreat toward I!io enlrtinee. Wli-n (lie police were almost e\lii:ilsl-(l in their -Units In .stern the attack. tlie sinkers bioko info two pariie.s. Utey jumped (lnwii on In Iho iie.'i• 11 and tried to < 'amber li.u k lieliititl the police. As f;isf,

•'I • they rc.i-bcd tin: decking, however Utey were tlirown hack, more tlian 30 o Id falling into the water.

I his move caused the pnl co to separate, and (o leave an opening in the centre. Seeing I his opening st large body fit striker*, who had been content to watch the fight from Ihe roadway, dashed along tli o pier. The Order to Firo Given. The position of tho nolice was now «lespei\-i( p, and as a final warning more fihola v.'et'o fired into tho air. When this failed lo check the strikers, Sub-Inspector Mn*sop ordered his men to fire into tho crowd One constable, resting on his knee, poured shots into the advancing men, and following his example, other constables ompliod their revolvers, many shooting low down. Two strikers fell wounded, one struck in Ihe jaw. Like magic tho' advancing sinkers hesitated, and then stopped. Some of thorn carried the injured men off tho Titer, and took them away in a motor-car, and tho rest, realising that the police bad fired tho shots as a last resource, slowly retreated, many of them jumping over the side of the pier Into the sea. Tho mounted troops then charggd tho crowd and dispersed them, driving them completely off the pier. It was then learned that two other men had been struck by tyilletsi, the two who woro tha First, lo /all. The injuries wore not vory wrious. ■"