An Agitator, Clearly Guilty, Caught Out in Prevarication by; Judge Himself, But None the Less Not Convicted: Law and Order Made Impossible By Renny. Grtaewr, The obstactty which the Proviional Court puta in the way of the maintenance of order, by the: Municipal Council and the Police 'S were fully illustrated yesterday' in the case of a labour agitator, ought in the act of inciting a strike with incriminating literature upon him. The evidence against him was overwhelming, the judge hhimsel?' tripped the defendant up in' several absurd. tes and made hhly guilt clear' to all present. but} the ase was remanded cine die.
This was not as spectacular an affair as many that have preceded it but it' was such a clear that it served to prove better than some of the more sensational ones, how impossible it is for the police to function efficiently while this farcial court stands between the Council and the execution of justice an obstinate barrier, In this particular case a young Hunanese employed in an ce factory was charged by the Council, Mr, Goldring prosecuting, with having incited workers in the Kying Wei Silk Filature, 1 Wucho. Road, to strike in accordance with the orders of the General Labour Union. He was arrested on Wednesday by C.P.S. 1017 and C.P.C. 1185, a few minutes past noon in the act of exhorting women employees of the mill to strike, He {old the police that he represented the General Labour Union and did not deny, the purpose of his visit, When he arrived at the Harbin Police Station, however, authority from' the Union but said that he had gone to the mill to deliver a letter given him by a woman named Chiang Ahemei who had asked him to hand the letter to the accountant of the will. Failing to find the accountant he had simply entered into conversation with the women when he was rudely interrupted by the Chinese policemen. and, paper, and on the margin, sus a pencilled note which rend: "Members of 'Tang Yi Filature Workers' Union stopped at 9.80, am."
The Usual Small Fry Court opened at, 0.90, ay usual with Expectant Judge Vu Shen. ship, a recent importation from Hankow, and Mr. Stevens, Amor: can Ansessor, on routine cases businesslike fashion, Jone of miserable dishevelled little wretch who had snatched a foreign lady's bag, containing keys and money, from under her arm on Bubbling Well Road. Then came seven very disreputable coolies who had been caught stealing window rss from the New World and who Ted about it with an artlessness twat moved the judge to much irritation and the Chinese spectators to broad smile, A. truculent coolie caught in possession of nine empty mile bottles and one full tone belonging toa dairy with which' ho had no. connexion next appeared in the dock and then came Comrade Wang Ab-pao, the agita-for. He certainly appeared small, innocent and harmless and fabricate ed his story with what seemed a plaintive sincerity.
Mr. D. W. Goldriig, prosecuting for the Council, addressed the Court and charged the prisoner under Article 221 of the Chinewo Provisional Criminal Code which provides rather severe penalties for Inelting to. an offence." Tt must. mentioned that Article 224" makes combining to strike a criminal offence. After making his charge, Mr. Goldring expressed.the hope that ifthe Judge found the rie once muilfy. he would' impose a heavy penalty, since the. times were troubled, the maintenance of tree dificult' and. such subversive
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.