ARRANT COWARDS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7808, 12 September 1903, Page 4

ARRANT COWARDS.

| TRINIDAD POLICE AND FIREMEN CENSURED. The report of the Commission of Inquiry into the riots at Trinidad, together with papers relating to them, have now been issued. They maike sorry reading. Por want of ctfurage, inefficiency and disloyalty, the Port of Spain police only equalled by the fire 'brigade. Both of these bedies displayed, on the occasion of the riots, tlie most arrant cowardice and the most marked incompetency. The mob appears to have been a goodhumoured one at the beginning, and sang the National Anthem and "Rule Britannia," bufc later they became more turbulent, and started throwing stones afc the Red House, within which the Council were discussing the Water Ordinance Bill, against which the crowd had assembled to protest. This measure proposed the restriction of the wastage of water, whicli hud become scandalous, somo 8000 people using no less than 1,500,000 gallon/ daily. g There is, *of course, no excuse for xhe action of the crowd, which, after pelting the Red House, proceeded to sot fire to it, but there is nothing but the severest blame to be awarded to the police, who, when called upon to protect the Council, and disperse the crowd, failed utterly in their duty. The mounted police, the Commissioners say, exhibited great cowardice upon being received by some stones from the crowd, galloping back to barracks ' without making any real attempt to dnterfero with the rioters. It was only when orders were given to fire that the police showed anything like courage. Some of them, not content with' obeying the commands of their officers, did some firing on their own account in streets iv which there was no crowd afc all. " The shooting by these men," says the report, "was wholly unnecessary and unjustifiable." Some of the police indulged in unnecessary bayoneting. "The cases of Millicent Hadaway and Eliza Bunting show that the bayonet was used with a degree of violence indicative of ferocious cruelty upon persons wholly unconnected with the rioting." The chief of the fire brigade, Mr , Darwenfc, was not to be seen when wanted, and his men showed no alacrity in responding to the call of duty. The report comments on their conduct as follows: — "It is, perhaps, not of very much importance to determine whether the dereliction of duty on tbe part of that officer and his men was due primarily to deliberate disloyalty or to cowardice. We h ave abundant evidence that both causes were operative.". ;\ Two arrests only were made before the, Commission left the colony. " Retribution should have been swift," say the Commissioners. ! The Coroner, who might have initiated [ proceedings, took no pains to obtain evidence. He is censured by the report. Indeed, almost all officials together with the administration fall under the strictures of the Commission. A more disgraceful [ scandal has scarcely ever seen the light.