DISTURBANCE ON MAORI.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12289, 11 April 1918, Page 6

DISTURBANCE ON MAORI.

ON VOYAGE TO LYTTELTON.

Four Men Before the Court.

(Before .Mr \V. T. Lester. .1.P.. and Air L. A, Stringer, >l. As a result of a disturbance on the. voyage of the ferry steamer .Maori from Wellington to Lyttelton, last, night, three returned soldiers, Privates Archibald Dasler, Albert Spark and I’ere.v Vickary, and a civilian named Henry Francis Huston, were charged with being guilty of disorderly behaviour while drunk, and a. second charge was made, against Spark and Vickary of using obscene language. Sergeant M'llae conducted the ease for the police. The accused were unrepresented. The three soldiers pleaded guilty to creating a disturbance and the civilian pleaded not guilty. A jdea of not guilty was made in regard to using ohscoue language, Sergcanl-Afajor Phillips stated that lie was returning from taking a draft to Featberston and during the night, he was called by a steward to the scene of tho dislurbaiiee. Ladies and oilier passengers had complained of the disturbance and of the obscene language mentioned in the charge. Ho recognised tho mni, Tho civilian was urging on the soldiers in the disturbance. In reply to Bust-on. witness said ho could not say that ho (Huston) was drunk, hut he mis noisy and mixed up in the disturbance.

Caplain Manning •stated that lie was called from the bridge shortly before ten o'clock. He saw some of tho accused. One soldier was very drunk and of a fightable disposition. He heard some objectionable language. The disturbance was of such a nature as to warrant tho calling of the police on arrival at Lyttelton, lie did not notice, the civilian. Chief-Steward H. Halley also gave evidence as to the disturbance, and identified the men. who were, nil under the influence of liquor. The soldiers had no right to lie in the saloon, where tho fracas took place and he ordered them to leave. They took no notice and he reported the occurrence to the. captain. Charles Jones, second steward on the Maori, corroborated tho evidence of the last witness. Ho heard obscene language, hut as the men were all talking at once it was difficult to say who was guilty. Tho accused Burson, a saloon passenger. remarked that lie was on his way to his cabin and met the soldiers and that was how he canto to be mixed up in the, affair. Ho had not urged the soldiers on. Accused appealed to the throe other men charged as to his connection with tho disturbanceAir Lester: Tho men have already pleaded guilty. They wore too drunk to realise your part in the affair. In reply to the Bench, the accused Spark and Vickary denied that they had made use of obscene language. Tho Bench decided to convict all the accused. On the first charge Boston was fined 10s or forty-eight hours’ imprisonment, and Dasler. Spark and Vickary were each fined 20s or seven days. On the second charge, of using obscene language, Spark and Vickary were each fined 40s or fourteen days’ imprisonment. Tho. Bench referred to the sericMs nature of tho charge, seeing it had occurred on a vessel whore so many passengers were closely confined, and whore, in particular, there wore many women. Tho soldiers had done service for tho Empire, but they must understand that they wore not permitted to conduct themselves improperly on vessels in which they travelled.