Page:The Fremantle Wharf Crisis of 1919.djvu/35

THE WHARF CRISIS OF 1919. the Fremantle Esplanade on the afternoon of Sunday, May 11. Speeches were delivered by Messrs. Panton, Renton, and McCallum, after which the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Phil Collier) spoke. He said that the one sad spot in the proceedings was the fact that one of their comrades had laid down his life, but that would serve as an inspiration for generations to come. Mr. T. Walker, M.L.A., said that the victory had demonstrated Labor’s strength, and it had learned its strength when solid and united. The proceedings were enthusiastic throughout, and were preceded by a procession through the streets, headed by the Fremantle Band, which played "The Marsellaise."

THE INQUEST.

The inquest on the death of Tom Edwards was not concluded until June 5, after a number of adjournments. The Coroner was Mr. E. P. Dowley, R.M. Sir Walter James appeared for the Crown, and Mr. Walter Dwyer for the widow. At the conclusion of the evidence, which traversed in detail the tragic events of May 4, the principal portions of which are set herein, the jury returned the following verdict:&mdash;"That the deceased, Thomas Charles Edwards, came to his death on May 7 at the Fremantle Public Hospital, from a fracture of the skull, caused by a wound on the head, received on the wharf at Fremantle on May 4. We are unable to say who caused the wound. Death was accidental."

TERMS OF COMPENSATION.

In accordance with the agreement insisted upon by the Disputes Committee, the Government appointed an arbitrator to assess the damages which should be paid to the widow and children of Tom Edwards. It was not until some time later that Mr. A. S. Canning, P.M., agreed to act at the request of the Government, and on August 16 it was announced that he had assessed the total to be paid as £686. Of this amount Mr. Canning set aside £300 for the widow, and provided for the children as follows:—Child, aged 15 years, £26; child aged seven years, £150; child, aged two years, £210. It was further stipulated that the shares of the children were to be paid into the Government Savings Bank in the names of the trustees and to be applied for their maintenance, payable in weekly instalments, in respect of each child, to the mother or other person having their care and upbringing.

Referring to this assessment a few days later, Mr. McCallum made the following appeal: "No sum of money, however large, can possibly compensate the widow and children of 35