COMMUNIST BOOKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21167, 27 April 1932, Page 14

COMMUNIST BOOKS.

BROUGHT FROM OVERSEAS. TWO MEN SENT TO PRISON. "LEADS TO DISTURBANCES." COMMENT BY MAGISTRATE. I'loas of not guilty were entered by Gordon Harvey Dale, aged 25, seaman, and Edward Stanley Hamilton, aged 21, bootmaker, when charged in the Police Court yesterday afternoon with causing to be brought into New Zealand six copies of a book entitled "The R.I.L.U. Magazine, " which advised lawlessness. A further charge of smuggling into Now Zealand three copies of a book, ' Revolu tionary Programme," 50 copies of a book, "The Tasks of 11o< 1 Trade Unions and the Minority Movement," and other books, was not proceeded with. The former charge was brought bv the police under the War Regulations Continuance Act, 1920, which prohibits the importation of literature likely to result in strife and lawlessness, and tho smuggling charge was laid by the Customs Department. A customs odii'ial, Leonard Joseph Wil liamson, said he lirst saw I lie accused on the deck of the steamer Marama just after the arrival of tlm vessel from Sydney on April 12. As far as witness could sec, accused bad no parcels in their possession, but a short time later they left the. ship carrying !i\e bundles. Witness examined the parcels and found then'i to contain Communistic publications. Dale explained to witness that he had received the papers from Wellington four days previously and that he intended to sell some of them to seamen on the Marama. He and his companion had not travelled by the Marama, but had boarded the vessel at the wharf. Witness subsequently handed the papers, which appeared to be in their original wrappings, to the policeEvidence of Detective. Detective Naldor said that when he arrested Dale at a house in Grey Lynn on April 17 a well-known Communist, one Smith, approached and asked what the charge was. When told Smith remarked, "Oh, that literature," and Dale replied "Yes." Dale told witness that he would take all the blame as Hamilton merely accompanied him and had nothing to do with possession of the papers. A circular addressed to civil servants was found in Dale's possession. It was mimeographed by Dale. Later on the same day witness arrested Hamilton, who had nothing to say. Both men had admitted they were members of the Communist Party. Corroborative evidence was given by Detectives Allsopp and Packman. Extracts from sonic of the papers were read by Detective-Sergeant Kelly. "The R.I.L.U. (Red International Labour Unions) Magazine," referred to in one of the charges, contained the following paragraph, which Mr. Kelly quoted: "W*> must develop and increase the struggle and point out to tho masses that there is only one way out of the crisis which is advantageous for the working class. This is the revolutionary way, the way adopted by the working class in Russia in October, 1917 —the dictatorship of the proletariat." The magazine was published in London and was dated January 1, 1932. "Armed Revolt." Another quotation was taken from a circular entitled "Ten Years of Red International," by A. Losovsky. It. read: "The mass political strike is to he used to disorganise the forces of the bourgeois State and employers, and, conditions being favourable, the next step must be taken. What step? Armed revolt! The struggle for power and dictatorship of the proletariat. All this is more than plain for the revolutionary trade unions and has been embodied in tfie fundamentals of all the decisions ever taken bv the R.1.L.U."

A third extract from the papers read by Mr. Kellv urged workers "to rally to l lie Minority Movement, to smash tlie Arbitration Court, smash the capitalistic offensive, defend the Soviet Inion, defend the revolution in China and India, expose and drive out the Social-Fascists, destroy the Fascist bloodhounds, and to down capitalism." 'J his paper was printed in Sydney. Accused in Witness Box.

In evidence Dale denied (lint ho had imported the Communistic literature into New Zealand and that- he intended to cause trouble bv distributing it- 'I am a seaman and on April 12 1 went to the waterfront to look for employment," he said. "I was standing at the corner of Quay St reel, and Queen Street when a man came up to me and asked me if 1 would deliver a parcel of literature to a house in Newton Road."

Tho Magistrate, Mr. L<\ K. Hunt: Who asked you to do this ? Dale: I am not prepared to say who he was.

Continuing. Dale said the Newton Road house was the headquarters of tho Communist Party in Auckland and many of the books and papers were to be placed in the party's library. Witness admitted that ho intended to sell some of the papery on board the Manama. Hamilton "gave a hand" in carrying the literature, but was in no way responsible for their possession. When spoken to by the customs officer, witness said the literature came from Wellington. As far as he knew this was true The Magistrate: Ihe docket in this pamphlet is dated April 7. lo have reached Auckland by April il must have come by tho Marama. Counsel for the Defence: It does not. say the docket was dated at Sydney. It might have been dated at Wellington. "This Sort of Rubbish." Detective-Sergeant Kelly (to Dale) : You are pretty conversant with this sorL of rubbish, aren't you Dale: Rubbish? Mr. Kelly: Yes. This talk of armed revolt and so on. Dale: 1 have never advised lawlessness, Hamilton also maintained that he had never advocated lawlessness, lie said he was a bootmaker, but had been without regular employment since February, 1931. On several occasions ho had attended Communistic meetings, but had not spoken from the party's platform. He did not see who gave Dale the books and at the time did not know what the publications contained. At no time had witness sold literature on behalf of the Communist Party. Confiscation of Books.

"I am satisfied that, these men went ou board the ship after her arrival from Sydney and got, those books to lake ashore," remarked the magistrate. "I look upon it as a very serious matter indeed. The distribution of this sort of literature leads to disturbances such as wo have recently had in our city streets." Mr. Hunt added that Dale had told "the same old story" about meeting a man in t lie si root. In this ease, however, tlie "man" was nol a "stranger," although Dale refused to divulge his name. Each accused was sentenced to six months' imprisonment. An order for the confiscation of the books was made by the magistrate. In view of the fact tint accused had been convicted un tho police prosecution, counsel for (lie Customs Department said he did not wish to press the smuggling charge, which was .withdrawn.