THE RIOTS AT LABASA.

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13274, 1 May 1907, Page 5

THE RIOTS AT LABASA.

Per Press Association. INDIAN COOLIES' GRIEVANCE. ' -'AUCKLAND, April 30." , Details ,of the, riot at, Labasa, Fiji, received by the Talur.e, show that on April 15ih, .fiftyrtwo Indians proceeded to the police! station <;t. Labasa, and eomplaiiied to the. Magistr ate. that,, the ■ agent. in . India.: 'had recruited them under false pretencecs. They were to work for th© Government as soldiers and policemen, and do similar work. They denied having signed an agreement to work for the Sugar Company. V The Magistrate promised to ascertain the'terms of their agreement, and advised them meanwhile to return to their work.and await the result of his enquiries. The Magistrate also promised to enquire into their complaint in regard to their rations. Sonie of the men who expressed their intention to return to work wer9 assaulted' bv ten of their companions, and warrants .were • issued .for the arrest of the assailants. The arrest was made by armed police, and the remainder of the strikers followed their comrades to' ilie police station. Inspector Boldero and six constables 'marched the latte. back- to, the with fixed tiayonets. On 'riving at the plantations, the Indians armed themselves with knives, lioes, and spades, ■ and prepared to resist the police. They were warned to halt, but continued to advance, and a, few shots were fired.' Three* Indians were wounded. One was shot leg, another tiirough the arm, and one in the hand. The police arrested five Indians, and took them to the police station. • ■ .

Ail eye-witness of ithe Shooting incident tit Labasa says that it happened about 11 o'clock: He .was near the Punjabis' lines at''-Labasa- whan Sub-Inspector Boldero, with a Targe number of .Indiansand Fijian police, armed with rifles with fixed -.bayonets, and about 40 or 50 natives in war paint, with clubs and .-spears, came: to the lines, and were rounded -up. * About 100 of the Punjabis men were met by several Europeans on horseback, including. a man supposed to bo Sir' Duncan, the Sugar Company's .manager, who triid to reason with them. It is said that four ,or live' of tha Punjabis went forward as spokesmen, pnd said they would not work any more. 'Mr Duncan put his hand- on -the shoulder of brie of the Punjabis whilst speaking. The Punjabi made a movement .as if to draw his sheath loiife.. Fearing bloodshed, someone gfav-e the order either to get ready 'or. to Jire... The result. was. that- the rifle's were discharged, and four men were injured. One man was shot -through the aim as he put up his hand to shield his face, with the result that a bullet cut off his little - finger and grazed his forehead. The second man received a bulle<t in'the thigh, and the 1 third in the calf. The fourth man received a bayonet wound in the slioulder. Some of the ringleaders seized, and the rest went back to the lines. The Sugar Company's management then consulted Mr Russell, the Immigration Inspector. Mr Duncan told Mr Russell that' he would' have nothing more to do with the Indians, and that they would bei taken back to Suva, as : 'they had broken tKeir~agreement. • Ths. men struck work on Monday. Various reasons are assigned for their conduct. One was that they were put on task work," and out of 8d per day had 4d deducted for rations,-and 1 their- flour was stopped. The main cause,' , however, seems - to be that the-men object to work in the cane-fields-. Most of them are ex-soldiers of the Indian army. One was a sergeant, and expected to be on police and similar duties in Fiji,. J