LAWLESSNESS ADVOCATED

Taranaki Daily News, 27 April 1932, Page 9

LAWLESSNESS ADVOCATED

BANNED COMMUNIST BOOKS

ILLEGAL IMPORTING CHARGED. IMPRISONMENT FOR TWO MEN. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. Pleas of not guilty were entered by Gordon Harvey Dale, aged 2a, a seaman, and Edward Stanley Hamilton, aged M, a bootmaker, when charged in the Police Court to-day 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 New Zealand three copies of the book Revolutionary Programme,” 50 copies of the book, “The tasks of Red trade unioiib and the minority movement,- and otner books was not proceeded Wltlu The iirst charge was brought by the police under the War Regulations Continuance Act, 1920, which prohibits the importation of literature which is likely to result in strife and lawlessness, and the smuggling charge was laid by the Customs Department. A Customs official, Leonard Joseph Williamson, said he first saw the accused on the deck of the steamer Mara ma just after the arrival of the. vessel from Sydney on April 12. As far as witness could see the accused had no parcels in their possession, but a short time later they left the ship carrying five bundles. Witness examined the parcels and found _ them 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 police. A number of witnesses gave evidence.

“I am satisfied that these men went on board the ship after its arrival from Sydney and got these books to take 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 we have recently had in our city streets.”

Each man was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. An order for the confiscation of the books was made by the magistrate. In view of the fact that the accused had been convicted on the police prosecutions counsel for the Customs Department said he did not wish to press the smuggling charge, which was withdrawn.