HELP FROM AMBASSADOR

Taranaki Daily News, 13 April 1934, Page 7

HELP FROM AMBASSADOR

ARRESTED NEW ZEALANDER MR. BICKERTON IMPRISONED GRAVE CHARGES AWAITING QUESTION IN THE COMMONS By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. Tokio, April 11. The Communist organisation is stringently prohibited in Japan, and for this reason Mr. Maxwell Bickerton’s alleged preparations to join it constitutes one of the gravest charges against him. Mr. Bickerton is the former New Zealand teacher who has been committed for trial on charges connected with Communist activity. A London cable states that Mr. J. C. Wilmot (Labour) in the House of Commons, asking a series of questions, pointed out that Mr. Bickerton was imprisoned on March 13, but was not allowed to see the British consul till March 23. He was still in gaol, though he had not been charged. Sir John Simon, Foreign Secretary, replic J that according to the Japanese authorities Mr. Bickerton was suspected of an offence in connection with illegal Communist activities. The British consul and ambassador, as soon as they knew of the arrest, had requested that Mr. Bickerton should either be released or publicly tried without delay. He understood that the Japanese police inquiry was now concluded and the case was going to the examining judge. Adequate funds were available for the defence and the ambassador was doing everything possible in Mr. Bickerton’s interests.