About a for lit ago the pickets. had made an unusually large se of goods from a steamer arriv in port, and Col. Hayley Bell. pro godown, or whatever Apparently the Commissioner of Customs was in deadly earnest about. the cargo, and by this time there was much uneasiness. By 10 p.m, this feeling seemed to have deve-oped into a wish to get rid of the unwelcome guest, for the leaders of the pickets then informed the Commissioner that he could have his cargo.
The pickets, however, had reckoned without their guest, for they were informed that as they had taken the cargo away they would have to bring it back to the wharf and place it in the Customs matshed. There were protests. against this, and the excuse was given that no launch was available, The Commissioner simply announced that he would wait until there was a. Jaunch, and the upshot was that the pickets soon found one; and not only took the argo but. the Commissioner and his bedding. back to the Customs godown, 'The salutary effect this action had on the strike pickets, unfortunately, did not last Tong, and there was' a resumption of the former practice on the part of the pickets. On Saturday lust, accord~ urna the Commissioner of ingly, as further protests had been
Customs proposed to the Consular Body that the port should be closed, The Consular Body agreed, and xetion wax taken with a promptitude which seems to have staggered the strike pickets and Government, for it went into effect on Sanday: morning. were placed aboard all harbour the shipp of the port brought to a definite standstill,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.