Inquiry Opens Into The

Cause Of It All

Young James Anthony , 25-year-old union secretary who claims to he the brains behind the Fiji oil workers’ strike would not agree in early February that if there had been no strike there would have been no disturbances in Suva in December.

“T WOULD rather say that if there i had been no police tear gas there would have been no disturbances,” he said.

Mr. Anthony who is secretary of the Wholesale and Retail Workers’

Union, was giving evidence at the Commission of Inquiry into the disturbances. The inquiry began in Suva before Mr. Justice Lowe in January. He was being cross examined by Mr. J. N. Falvey, counsel representing the police.

Mr. Anthony told the Com missioner that he was boycotting the commission and was only there because he had been summoned.

Mohammed Tora, president of the North West Viti Levu branch of the union, also told the Cmn missioner that he had “no faith” in the inquiry and no trust in it.

Like Mr. Anthony, however, he gave evidence.

Mr. Anthony said that during the strike he had made efforts to keep things peaceful. He said that he had been apprehensive of violence before violence had in fact occurred, “and still was”. He denied to Mr.

Justice Lowe that this last state ment was a threat.

Mr. Anthony said that he wished to make it quite clear that his union was in no way concerned with the disturbances.

The Chief Justice: Let me make it a little clearer—the police state that.

The Fiji Commissioner of Police, Mr. R. Beaumont, told the com mission that section of the crowd on that first day had been angry

(Continued on page 141)

before smoke bombs had been thrown by police. He said he had believed that unless there was a general strike there was not likely to be civil commotion, and said he felt in retrospect, that had tne public safety regulations been issued earlier it would have appeased m He 0 said the order to throw smoke gas was not given because stones were thrown. It had been an un

?ul assembly and everybody had ji told by the police on the spot •e wouW be no public meeting, up rintendent D. M. McGusty that an attempt had been mane ■he Rodwell Road area to jolly crowd along” but they had w a d defiance. Some of the crowd . uerly and aggr ssive and he was 1 from headquarters that the wd had to be dispersed. Tear gas not used until the crowd had

in told repeatedly to disperse.

crowd threw stones imm°d ately : 0r the smoke had been thrown. would not himself have be n ie to observe whether stones were iown before this.

'Vhen the name of Mr. B. D. kshman Indian MLC and union ,der, was called at the Inqui-y on bruary 10, he did not appear. He opli'd the Fiji Times with a copy a letter, addressed to the •y of the Commission, which said would refuse to attend.