COMMUNISTS' BOOK

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16301, 7 April 1927, Page 9

COMMUNISTS' BOOK

CHARGE AGAINST SELLER

(Per Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, last night. A charge of selling a document] "The Path to Power," which encourages violence and lawlessness, contrary "to the War Regulations Continuance Act, was preferred against a waterside worker, Walter Hodgson, at the. Police Court to-day.

Mr. Paterson, who prosecuted, said that the book did not openly advocate lawlessness and violence, but it did so insidiously and perniciously. .The scheme of the took dealt with Parliamentary action and the constitutional methods of the Labor party. The book considered that they would never get things done by these methods, and, urged the workers to prepare for class war.. It was alleged that the book had a seditious intention. A copy of the book was bought by Detective Robortsop at the Communists' meeting. It was significant that the opening paragraph referred to the aims of the Communist party, as assisting the workers in tho struggle to overthrow the landlord and til© capitalist class. It also advocated that the workers should use force to achieve their aims.

Mr. Leary, for the defence, submitted that "The Path to Power"' was merely u pamphlet of industrial and domestic, discussion, and that this sort of thing was not considered when the war regulations were passed. "The last legislation is now seven years old," continued Mr. Leary, "and the economic position that has arisen since, the war does not matter now, vso far as the war regulations are concerned. They have nothing to do with war. I submit that our own subiects are entitled to discuss strikes, lock-outs etc., in the same way as they did before the war. If every temperately and wellexpressed argument put forward by tho Communist party, or tbe Labor 1 party is to be a subjoH of persecution by the Crown, it will mean that tho only vehicle of expression and education left will be secret discussion by the most ■abandoned criminals burning with a desire to break tho back of society." Mr. Leary said that the general purport of the book went no further than to suggest that a general strike, of course accompanied with its attendant inconveniences, was the only way to emancipation. There is no revolution ary situation anywhere in the book, where bloodshed is advocated. It is merely a referenco to the economic crisis. Such discussions were never contemplated by the Act. The. Magistrate reserved his decision.