ISSUE OF SEDITIOUS LITERATURE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19577, 25 August 1933, Page 14

ISSUE OF SEDITIOUS LITERATURE

SIX MEN IMPRISONED. By Telegraph—Press Association WELLINGTON, August 24. Mr E. Page, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court to-day, gave judgment in the cases of six men, Blair, Birchfleld, Webb, Bryan, Reilly, and McDowell, who were recently charged with printing a small book, “Karl Marx and the Struggle of the Masses.” The Magistrate held that the book expressed a seditious intention, and said that in his view the printing for distribution of thousands of copies of the book could not be regarded as other than a serious breach of the criminal law? “Those who make their residence in this country must obey its laws,” he said. He sentenced each of the accused to six months’ imprisonment, but before he did so several of them - addressed the Court. Their addresses were more or less confined to an abusive attack on British justice. They condemned the present system of Government, and the Courts, and stated that they expected neither leniency nor justice, because they knew they could not get it. One of the accused, Webb, asked however, that when in gaol they should be regarded as political prisoners, and allowed special privileges, such as wearing civilian clothes, writing 1. .ters without restriction, and receiving visitors. On the application of DetectiveSergeant Revell, Birchfleld was remanded to appear at Timaru on a charge of obtaining £7/0/9 from the Public Works Department by falsely representing that he was injured at the Waitaki Hydro Electric Works.