POLICE USE REVOLVERS

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 166, 15 August 1929, Page 8

POLICE USE REVOLVERS

Per Press Association.

THE CHIXESE R10T IX A PIA. AN EXPLANATION BY THE PREMiER.

IV FLL1 NGTON, Last night. In the House of Representativcs this afternoon, Mr H. E. llolland, Leader of the Lahour Party, referred to the repcrt t lom Apia relating to a strike o1- C'liinose coolics, and asked wlietlior tue Prime Minister would order an in- i vestigation i n1 o tlie causes and the hole circuinsiancos of the strike, and Ihe extent to which tlie police were permitted to use fireanns. ''Sir -loseph Ward replied that ho had received a cahle from the Administratc. stating tliat tlie strike was ilue toi d ifTereiuvs heLween two rival "Tongs" ' niu! labour coiulitions were nut in- j volved. Dispiitef. hetween tliese "1'ongs" liad lcrl to a sliglit confliet on a previous occat-inn and t» twn ]irosecutioiis of a Cliineso foreman. receuf1 v heard and disinissed hy the Cliief Judge. Tlie memhers of one of tlie "'Iong.s" were striking to ohtain the rcmoval of tliis foreman, who was understood to he a proininent niember nf the othor "Tong." On Sunday niorniug last all tlie Cliineso coolies on strike (some 280 in number) prooeedtd to the Cliineso coiiimi.ssioner's offiee, where thev saw tlie commissioner. Tliey appeared to disperse, hut suddenly attarked the offic-er. Two white and several Snmoau police on duty tried to restraTn tliein, but a serious riot developed and tlie police were in grave danger. Finally sliots were fired hy the police, and on the nrrival of reinforcements the rioters were dispersed. Fourteen Ghinese oasualties were in liospital, including four wit-h bullet wounds, of whom one was serious. though recoverv was prohable. Sir Joseph Ward stated that the police were permitted to use fireanns only in final resort and where necessar.v for the preservation of their own safetv. No further investigation ap^ieared to he called for at the moment. Mr Holland : Tt seems you will have t-i get rid of the Chinese in Satnoa. Tlie Hon. T. M. Milford: Or the "Tongs."