HUNTLY FOOD RAID.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 458, 20 May 1932, Page 8

HUNTLY FOOD RAID.

Men Said to Have Helped ‘ Themselves. EIGHT ARRESTS MADE. (Special to the “Star.”) AUCKLAND, May 20. Eight arrests were made by the police at Huntly yesterday afternoon, following a raid by sixty men on the Huntly branch of the Farmers’ Trading Company, when food to the value of £lO was carried off. Police reinforcements were sent from Auckland and the arrested men were taken to Hamilton, where they appeared in Court this morning. The raid occurred at midday. The men svcarmed into the shop and, despite an appeal from the manager, helped themselves to the goods on the shelves. The men had approached the local representative of the Hospital an.d Charitable Aid Board and were offered two days’ work. This the men refused, demanding sustenance. They subsequently held a meeting and decided to visit the Farmers’ Trading Company’s premises. On entering the shop the men demanded £1 worth of goods each, to be charged up to the Charitable Aid Board. On the manager’s refusal the men, in response to the leader’s appeal to help themselves, proceeded to fill sugar sacks and other receptacles with groceries. The men entered and left the shop in comparatively orderly fashion. The value of the goods taken is estimated at £lO. It was fortunate that the mines in the district were working, otherwise an ugly situation might have developed. Affairs at Huntly are being carefully watched by the police, who are now under the command of Superintendent Till. The occurrence was described by tne manager of the store, who said that there had been a meeting of unemployed at the Lyceum Hall in the morning to decide whether wolk under the relief wage of 10s a day should be undertaken, and he understood the proposal had been rejected “The staff was away at lunch at the time, but I had not left the premises when the men arrived,” he continued. Would Not Listen to Appeal. “They swarmed into the shop, sixty or seventy of them, and I talked earnestly with them for twenty-five minutes, counselling them not to interfere with the stock. The police were telephoned for, but we were unable to get through to them. The men said that they had nothing against me personally. They would not listen to my reasoning or appeal. I was pushed on one side by the leaders, and the men proceeded to help themselves to everything in sight. They took provisions—butter, bacon, cheese, oatmeal, and everything in the grocery line. Eventually the men left the shop.” “To Be Charged to Hospital Board.” A resident of Huntly informed the “ Star ” yesterday afternoon that each man who entered the store demanded £1 worth of groceries, to be charged to the Waikato Hospital Board, and that following the refusal of the request the ringleader said. “Well, boys, help yourselves.” After the goods had been taken the men returned to the meeting.

- ACCUSED IN COURT. Four Charged with Inciting f Lawlessness. Per Press Association. HAMILTON, May 20. A preliminary sequel to yesterday’s disturbance at Huntly when the premises of the Farmers’ Trading Company were entered and groceries forcibly removed by a number of relief workers was staged in the Hamilton Magistrate’s Court this morning when eight of the men alleged to have participated in looting appeared before Mr Wyvern Wilson. S.M. Four were charged with the theft of groceries valued at £lO and with inciting and encouraging lawlessness. They were; David Fuller (Australia), aged 32. Raymond Richards (England), aged Albert Allen (England), aged 32. Joseph Bincham (England), aged 50. Bail was allowed in two sureties of £IOO each. The following were charged with the theft of groceries valued at £10: Horatio Swindells (England), aged 47. Francis George Stevens (England), aged 44. B James Moyes (Scotland), aged 50. Thomas Morgan (England), aged 44. \ Similar bail was allowed. On the application of the police all I the accused were remanded to appear J at Huntly on Friday next.

TWENTY-FOUR “WANTED”

Nineteen Arrests Already Made. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, May 20. Detectives under Sergeant M’Hugh worked all morning rounding tip more of the looters. Up to midday eleven more arrests had been made, making a total of nineteen. All again went quietly with the police. The wife of one of the arrested men threatened and abused the detectives. Although the police know that several women were concerned in the looting, none has been arrested. The police are now searching for four white men and one Maori. When these are found a total of twenty-four will have been taken into custody. Only one of those arrested this morning has been charged with inciting lawlessness. Forty members of the Huntly Unemployed Workers’ Movement attended a meeting this morning. The question of bail for the men arrested last night was discussed and two men approached the Mayor, Mr E. George, and asked him to put up bail for their friends. Mr George said that, if some other business man was prepared to adopt that course, he also would stand bail.