PUBLIC SAFETY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27500, 21 September 1950, Page 6

PUBLIC SAFETY

Emergency Powers Taken PROCLAMATION ISSUED PA WELLINGTON, Sept. 20. The proclamation declaring a state of emergency as a result of the waterfront dispute, read in the -House of Representatives bv the Prime Minister, Mr Holland, was issued this afternoon in the form of an Extraordinary Gazette. The proclamation states: “ Whereas by section II of the Public Safety Conservation Act, 1932, it is provided that if at any time it appears to the Governor-General that any action has been taken or is immediately threatened by any persons or body of persons of such a nature and on so extensive a as to be calculated, by interfering with the supply and distribution of food, water, fuel or light, or with the means of locomotion, to deprive the community or any substantial portion of the community of the essentials of life, he may by proclamation approved in Executive Council declare that a state of emergency exists throughout New Zealand or throughout any area that may be specified or defined in the proclamation.

“And whereas it appears to me that action has been taken by certain per-sons-and bodies of persons of such a nature and on so extensive a scale as to be calculated by interfering with the supply and distribution of food and fuel and with the means of locomotion to deprive a substantial portion of the community of the essentials of life;

“Now, therefore, I, Lieutenant-gene-ral Sir Bernard Cyril Freyberg, Gover-nor-General of New Zealand, in pursuance and exercise of the power and authority conferred on me by the iaid section 11, and- with the approval of the Executive Council, do hereby declare that a state of emergency exists throughout New Zealand.” The message is signed by the Prime Minister, Mr Holland, and bears not::e of the approval of the Executive Council. PROVISIONS OF THE ACT Heavy Penalties For All Breaches The Government has sweeping powers when a state of emergency has been proclaimed. The Public Safety Conservation Act, 1932, under which provision for proclaiming a state of emergency is made, states. that the Governor-General, by Order-in-Coun-cil, may make all such regulations as he thinks necessary. Such regulations may confer on any Minister of the Crown, department of State, person in the service of the Crown or acting on behalf of the Crown, powers and duties deemed necessary for the preservation of peace and order, for securing and regulating the supply and distribution of food, water, fuel, light, and other necessities, for maintaining the means of transit, transport, or locornotion, and for any other purposes essential to the maintenance of public safety and order and the life of the community.

The powers go further, and provide for fines of £IOO and three months’ imprisonment (or both) for an offence against the regulations, or for aiding, abetting, inciting or conspiring. The forfeiture of any goods or money involved is also ordered. In any prosecution, the court may admit such evidence as it thinks fit, whether such evidence would be admissible in other proceedings or not. The senior officer of the Police Force in any area is in full control, and has full powers when, because of the suddenness of the emergency in the particular area, the provisions of the Act cannot be put into operation immediately. The duration of the regulations is limited to 14 days from the time they are laid before Parliament “unless a resolution is passed by both Houses providing for continuance.” Australian Coal Strike As a result of the coal strike which broke out in New South Wales on June 27, 1949, the Australian Federal Government on June 29 introduced emergency legislation to prevent the strikers being maintained with trade union funds, and penalties for offences weA* fixed at fines of £IOOO for unions and £IOO for individuals, together with three months’ imprisonment. Following a Government ultimatum, troops began to work the open-cast mines in New South Wales at midnight on August 2. The strike ended on August 11, when the miners decided to go back to work. As a result of the strike, unemployment had spread, and at one time there were 600,000 workers idle. The strike cost the country 2,000,000 tons of'coal. London Dock Strike A state of emergency was proclaimed in Britain on July 13, 1949, as a result of the London dock strike. Normal working was resumed at the docks on July 25, and the proclamation was revoked the next day. Prior to their withdrawal from the docks on July 23/ a total of 11,452 troops were working on 130 ships. The aggregate tonnage handled by troops during the strike was 107,643 tons.

It was on July 21 that a mass meeting of dockers at Victoria Park (East .London) voted to call off the strike after attempts to spread the strike to Tilbury docks had been successful. Earlier, the West India dockers, the London docks group of transport and general workers, and the Lightermen’s Union had all decided to go back to work.

The Emergency Powers Act was used in Britain in' 1949 for the first time since the general strike in 1924. The Act had been invoked in the dock strike in 1948, but the Government did not have to use the powers it conferred.