Evening star., 1946-09-16
Communist Leaders
OF London Squatters
Granted S-Day Stay
BY The Asseciotsd Press


munist leaders charged with con-
spiracy in the organization of a
squatter invasion of vacant London
luxury apartments received an eight
stay stay of arraignment this morn
when Prosecutor H. A. K. Morgan
announced that he did not intend
to "go on with the case today"
The attorney for the Communists,
four of whom are London municipal
officials, agreed to postponement of
the hearing until September "a and
the accused were freed on con-
tinuance of the same bond posted
when they were charged last week.
Although the prosecution and de-
fense apparently agreed on the
delay there was no indication in
court of the reason.
Facing the conspiracy charge were
Edward F. Bramley, 40, secretary Of
the London District Communist
party and a member of the London
County Council; Joyce Miriam AL
lergant. Westminster City coun-
cilor; Ernest Stanley Henderson. 30,
secretary of the Hammersmith Com
munist party; Morris Israel Rosen,
a Stepney councillor, and Gabriel
Carritt, a Westminster City coun-
cilor.
No Plea Entered.
The five entered no plea.
The formal charge accused them
of 'conspiring together with other
persons to incite persons to tres
pass on property, and aiding. abet-
ting and directing such trespass
against the peace
Police reinforcements blanketed
the whole Covent Garden area in
the heart of London shortly before
the arraignment.
The government steadily tight
ened restrictions and appeared to
be gaining confidence that it would
achieve an early solution of the
eight -day-old crisis, although $500
squatters still were sitting tight in
West End luxury apartments
Police confiscated leaflets on "the
case for the squatters" and combed
the main squatter centers over the
week end, presumably for evidence
for more arrests.
Friends Bring Too Much Food.
Police continued to "besiege"
buildings already occupied in the
movement.
At the Ivanhoe Hotel in the Lon
don University district of Blooms
bury. squatters asked their friends
to quit bringing food, which was
becoming embarrassingly plentiful
In Abbey Lodge, across the street
from Regents Park, boobies walked
their beats, alertly watching for
squatters to come out. Once out,
they are refused re-entrance
The policemen patrolled the doors
to the Duchess of Bedford Man
sions a short distance from Queen
Victoria's birthplace at Kensington
Palace.
The Bedford squatters kept the
doors barred and women guards
kept alert watch through lifted
corners of lace curtains.
Municipal Housing Opened.
Chelsea Borough Council moved
ahead of the squatter movement, al
lowing prospective tenants to move
into still unfinished municipal hous-
ing rent-free until the buildings are
completed.
In Bristol. on the west coast,
authorities moved similarly, telling
families to whom still uncompleted
municipal bungalows have been al
loted to take protective measures"
At Bridlington, Yorkshire, a man,
his wife, their year-old child and
Alsatian dog moved into a house
once occupied by armed forces-and
took the family's woman roomer
along with them.
In London court, Arthur George
Jenkins, 20, accused of obstructing
the police by unloading squatters
possessions at Fountain Court, was
put on six months probation after
he pleaded guilty.