WAITARA MEN IN COURT

Taranaki Daily News, 1 December 1932, Page 4

WAITARA MEN IN COURT

UNION PRESIDENT CHARGED INSULTING LANGUAGE ALLEGED. FINE OF £3 IMPOSED ON ONE. Two further charges arising out of the Freezing works dispute at Waitara were brought in the New Plymouth Police Court yesterday morning. Thomas H. B. Ewens, president of the Waitara Freezing Works Employees’ Union, was charged with using insulting words in McLean Street, Waitara, on November 22 and a similar charge in respect of an occurrence in West Quay, Waitara, on November 24 was made against Charles Te Wai. The case agr.inst Ewens was adjourned until December 8 and Te Wai was fined £3 (costs 10s.)» When the case against Ewens was called Mr. L. M. Moss, who appeared for Ewens, asked for an adjournment. until December 8, as he would be appearing in the Supreme Court at Hamilton next week and would not be able to return to New Plymouth before that date. Detective A. B. Meiklejohn, who appeared for the police, agreed to the adjournment. Presenting the prosecution s case against Te Wai, who pleaded guilty, Detective Meiklejohn said the charge arose from the present trouble at Waitara. A number of free labourers were walking along West Quay at 10.45 p.m. on November 24 when a remark was heard to come from three men who were apparently strikers and who were watching the free labourers pass on their return from the pictures. Later the police came on the scene and Te Wai was identified as the man who had used the insulting language. Mr. A. A. Bennett who appeared for Te. Wai, said the defendant was by occupation a shearer. He admitted he used the words complained of, but he denied having used them with any malicious intent. He had been to a fish shop where he was waiting for another man whom he expected to meet at the shop. He asked other men if they had seen the man he was waiting for, and on being told they had not he used the language mentioned. The words were-used only in reference to that particular man and were not intended for any other man than those he was talking to. They were not addressed to the free labourers. “It looks as if the difficult times in Waitara are tending to produce frayed tempers and suspicions that are not justified,” Mr. Bennett added, in appealing for leniency. Te Wai’s conduct in business matters had been exemplary. The magistrate, Mr. R. W. Tate: If ha used the language he should have remembered that Waitara is an exceedingly unfortunate place in which to use it at the present time.