LONDON “STRIKE” PAPER CONTAINS THRILLING STORY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17881, 24 June 1926, Page 5

LONDON “STRIKE” PAPER CONTAINS THRILLING STORY.

STARTLING ACCOUNT OF RIOT AT CANNING TOWN TOLD IN “ TELEGRAPH.” A small emergency copy of the “ Daily Telegraph ” dated May 6 was brought into the “ Star ” office to-day. It contains a account of a riotous outbreak at Canning Town during the strike period, a reprint of which is given here: A deliberate attempt was made on Tuesday evening by a number of strikers in Poplar and Canning Town to prevent people from going back from their work, and serious rioting epsued in consequence. The excitement which had prevailed all day ran high in the two districts mentioned towards the evening, and so ominous did the threatening of the strikers become that a special force of police had to be sent to deal with the trouble. Organised gangs of vouths made frequent rushes at mo-tor-cars and vans as they-were going to and from the city, especially at those that were bringing people from their work. A driver who had no passengers in his car was free from molestation, but those who were taking girls and others home from work were stopped and the passengers were turned out. In several instances the girls fainted. One valuable mo-tor-car was overturned and entirely wrecked. The usual practice was for the strikers to bring the car to a standstill by standing across the road, then to turn up the bonnet, disconnect the magneto and smash the essential parts of the machinery. Similar action was taken in regard to heavy lorries, one of which -was deliberately, set on fire. The Fire Brigade which came out in response to a call was prevented from proceeding to the scene of the outbreak by the crowd, who placed themselves threateningly in front of the engine.

At the beginning of the trouble it was easy for the police to deal with the obstruction,.but when the further contingent of constabulary was drafted in the attitude of the rioters became more aggressive, and it was found necessary to charge the crowd. Stones were flung at the police, who responded with further baton charges. It is estimated that about thirty persons were injured. They were taken to Poplar Hospital. Yesterday morning there were considerable crowds in the streets of Poplar, but matters were comparatively quiet. A considerable number of mounted police were on duty. Ugly scenes were witnessed in the chief thoroughfares of Leeds about noon yesterday. Trouble began when several thousand strikers attacked one of the emergency tramcars with lumps of coal taken from a passing lorry. A number of windows in the tramcar were smashed, and passengers had narrow escapes. The strikers rushed towards another tramcar a moment later, but were held back for a time by a tsrong body of police. Amid loud cries of “ Down with the police! ” the strikers made a rush. The police backed to a narrower thoroughfare, where they defended themselves with their batons. Several windows in the main part of Briggate were smashed by the strikers. A man was arrested, and the police managed to get him into a side street, where the strikers were hoodwinked. About 5000 strong, they dashed round another street, but the police, who had been reinforced, man aged to keep the mat bay with their truncheons. , About ten minutes later the windows of two more tramcars were smashed, and several passengers were cut on the face. Several exciting incidents occurred in Nottingham and district to-day calling for the intervention of the police, who prevented several attempts of strikers to march upon factories to prevent the continuance of work. About seventy workmen from Southwick Shipyard, Sunderland, when returning on Tuesday evening in mtoor-buses from Wallsend-on-Tyne, where they have been working daily, were stoned by a crowd of two or three hundred men near the tram sheds at Bvker, Newcastle. Several men in the buses were hit by stones and broken glass, and two required medical treatment. On reaching home, the buses did not stop, but drove straight through the crowd, knocking down two or three men.