DISPUTE AT HOTEL

Taranaki Daily News, 1 February 1933, Page 10

DISPUTE AT HOTEL

FREE LABOURERS AND UNIONISTS. CARTERTON INCIDENT. Carterton, Jan. 30. Several cases arising from the clash which took place at an hotel in Carterton on the afternoon of Saturday, January 14, between unionists and free labourers came before Mr. J. Miller, S.M., in the Carterton Police Court today- ■ ■ . Kenneth Page pleaded not . guilty to assaulting. Edward Joseph by striking him on the head with a stick. The evidence for the prosecution disclosed that on the afternoon in question some unionists and free labourers were in the hotel,'and as the result of some words two of the party came to blows. This was promptly stopped, and a little later further trouble arose outside in the hotel yard, and a free labourer named Edward Joseph was hit on the head with a stick, which inflicted a wound on the head one and a half inches long. It was alleged against Page that he was the person who assaulted Joseph. Evidence was called to show that Page was in the hotel during the afternoon, and'was on the scene when Joseph was struck. For the defence it was denied that Page was in the hotel that afternoon. He admitted being in another hotel, but returned to Masterton by ‘ car at 4.30. He called evidence to substantiate his statement that he was in Masterton at 5 o’clock, which was in the vicinity of the time the assault took place. After reviewing the evidence, the magistrate said a doubt existed aS to the matter of identification, and gave defendant the benefit and dismissed the information. Edgar Willis Wilton, for fighting, was

convicted and ordered to come _• up- for sentence within six months. A similar information against Robert- Hadfield, was dismissed. . E. W. Wilton and C. R. McConpick for using insulting words were each ped £5 and costs.- v- ■ ? ■ -