SEDITION CHARGE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8736, 19 May 1914, Page 8

SEDITION CHARGE

CASE OF EDWARD HUNTER FOUNT) CUILTV: RECOMMENDED FOR MERCY. Before His Honour Mr Justice Hosking in. the Supreme Court yesterday the retrial took place of Edward Hunter, on a charge of having used seditious language in a speech delivered at the Newtown Park on December 14th. When the accused was last tried the jury disagreed. Mr H. H. Ostler prosecuted on behalf of the Crown, and Mr T. M. Wilford, with Mr P. J. O’Regan, appeared for the accused, who pleaded not guilty. The indictment charged Hunter with having uttered tho following—■ You fellows rnUst' realise that if you are, going to control things properly you must have might behind you. You cannot do it with a box of cigarettes and a matob. Tb© strikers controlled tho Coast, and had set. aside all Jaw and order. Tho men on strike were told by tho leaders .that they had the freedom ol

the city there, and, having it, could

do anything they thought lit. There is a Mayor in Westport, but ho has been set aside, and everything is

controlled by tho strikers. They (the Government) can bring the specials

round to the Coast. In fact, we give' them a special invitation, and I swear this, in the name of tho party most concerned, that for every on© special they care to put down on tho Coast up to one thousand, we can put one down beside him, just as good a man, and if this is going to be a contest as to who is going to control, then we are prepared to ■make it a contest. Mere than, that, we men know that this Government is shedding blood. We had our fellow workers brutally murdered iu Waihi. There is no one instance from the workers’ ranks where we have caused any bloodshed. Now, if they are going to shed our blood, why should we look on at,our women' and children being clubbed and offer no retaliation. Now, if they •want a revolution they can have it. If they force it on us they can have

a revolution (or words to like effect). In. opening tlio case on behalf of the Crown, Six Ostler said that in the early part of the strike the waterside workers not only refused to work themselves, hut endeavoured, by illegal means, to prevent other people from working. The accused was apparently a delegate from the West Coast to a meeting of delegates to a Labour conference held in Wellington during the currency of the strikj?. The words that formed the charge against Hunter were uttered in the Newtown Park before a large crowd of people. After dealing with the questions of sedition and intent to incite to sedition, Mr Ostler quoted the cliarge, and pointed to the inferences which, lie submitted, were conveyed by the words. The evidence of Melville Edwards, reporter on the staff of the “Dominion” newspaper. Detective Henris, and Acting-Detective Dempsey was heard on behalf of the Crown. No evidence was called for the defence. The jury retired at 4.15 p.m., and at 5150 p.m. returned to court with a verdict of guilty. They recommended prisoner to mercy, considering that at the time the offence was coin mi tied Ids feelings had run away with him. Hunter will bo sentenced at 0.45 a.m. to-morrow.