DISORDERS FOLLOW REVOLT IN HAITI.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18939, 9 December 1929, Page 5

DISORDERS FOLLOW REVOLT IN HAITI.

AMERICA SENDING TROOPS TO SCENE CUnited Press Assn.—By Electric Teleerrarh — Copyright.) WASHINGTON, December 6. A strike in the Customs offices at Port au Prince and Cap Haitien, in the Republic of Haiti, which threatened serious complications, resulted in martial law being declared. Guards from the United States Marine Corps are patrolling the city. All is quiet. The High Commissioner, BrigadierGeneral John H. Russell, reported that the declaration of martial law had had a quietening effect. The authorities, however, apparently are still worried over further developments in the situation resulting from a strike of Haitian students, which spread to industrial and civil employees. The disorders among the Customs House strikers resulted in injury being done to two American officials. Haiti, or San Domingo, a negro republic, is the sceond largest island of the Greater Antilles, in the Caribbean Sea. By treaty with the United States, the President of Haiti accepts the services of advisers to his Government, nominated by the United States, who also supervise the police, finances, public health, public works and agriculture. NATIVES CLASH WITH MARINES; LOOTING FEARED IN CITIES. PORT AU PRINCE, December 8. Haiti is apparently calm. The situation throughout Haiti was dramatically shattered late yesterday when 1500 Haitians clashed with an American marine patrol in the outskirts of the city of Aux Cayes. In the encounter five Haitians were killed and twenty wounded. One marine was slightly injured. Aux Cayes was quiet to-day, but a further invasion is feared and the local magistrates dread looting, due to old enmity between the city residents and the peasants. At Jacmel also trouble was observed, when widespread smuggling of arms from Guatamala was exposed. Mobs cut the communication wires and threatened the residents. A message from Washington said that President Hoover had dispatched 500 marines to Haiti, upon being confronted with open violence. The president also asked Congress for authority for an appropriation of 50,000 dollars to send a commission “without delay” to Haiti fof reconsideration of American policy there. In a special message to Congress, President Hoover stated: “Our experience has revealed more clearly than was first seen the difficulties of the problem.”