El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-03-25
10000 TROOPS
RIOT IN SYDNEY;
BLAME GERMANS
Minister of Defence Calls It
a Mutiny and Says Enemy
Gold is Back of It.
WRECK SALOONS
AND GERMAN CLUB

NNDNEY, Australia. March ga
recent riot at sydney in which
- some $1,000 soldiers were involved
can be called by no other name than
"mutiny.7 in the official view Of sen
ator Pearce. the minister for defence,
who expresses his belief that troCbIe
among the Australian recruits has tcer
inspired by enemy gold and Influence"
Newspaper in Sydney and else
where. however. attribute the out
break to long continued failure by the
defence department to see that war
time discipline is maintained at the
training camps.
The troops involved in the mutiny
were from the training camps at Ca
sula and Liverpool. near this city
The trouble was due primarily TO an
uiuer nom the inspector general OF
the commonwealth forces, Mai. Gen.
q. w MCCay, increasing the number
Of hours of weekly drill from sc to
40is. This order was issued from
headquarters at Melbourne, and was
Immediately received with poor grace
by the recruits al the two big training
camps. on that morning 5000 men
marched out Of the Casula camp. which
is about 25 miles from Sydney, on what
they called a strike. 1t is assumed
that the military guard at the camp
was not strong enough TO offer resist
ance. In any case the Casula men
marched to the nearby Liverpool camp
and induced about 10000 men to join
in the strike" Although a consider
able number OF recruits at both camps
refused to join in the mutinous pro-
ceedmgs, the leaders Of the strike"
were followed by a big majority Of all
the recruits.
Wreck Saloons, Seize Town.
The first trouble occurred IN the
town Of Liverpool where, before noon.
large bodies of soldiers had wrecked
two saloons. drunk much liquor and
takes practical possession Of The place
The trains running from Liverpool To
Sydney were seized by the soldiers,
and they swarmed into Sydney during
the rest Of the day. The men at first
military formation, but later they
began to rush" trolley cars, commit
petty lOoting and frightening women
and children. BY evening the situa-
ton had become serious. for the
majority OF the men had become in
tOXicated. The city police were called
out to their maximum strength in
both foot and mounted men and
attempted to enforce special order
for the closing Of saloons. The police
were unable to cope with this situa-
tion. however, and armed regulars
We're brought from the Casula and
Liverpool camps.
storm German Club.
In the early evening the rioters
stormed the German club. Although
that institution was closed by the
authorities some time ago, the men
stoned it, and broke into many other
buildings. A large number Of arrests
were made Finally party OF
strikers attacked number Of sol
der picxets stationed at the Central
railway station. The rioters were hrsL
10 fire usfne their revolvers, and the
piclxets returned with rifles. As a re-
sl1lt OF this clash a cavalryman from
Queensland was killed and eight other
recruits seriously wounded.
Durfng the night the regular soi-
dfers sJicceeded in getting the recruits
hack to their respective camps, having
arrested the ring leaders; some Of the
short iail sentences, nut the PRINCIPAL
ones were taken in hand by the mill
farv authorities for court-marual.