Transcription
At yesterday's municipal inquiry into the East Ward arrests, counsel for the detained residents demanded the complete notes of a conversation taken down at the zoological gardens. He asked who had authorized the listening arrangement and challenged the extracts supplied to police.
The disputed passage concerns a collection made by members of the East Ward Colored Benevolent Association. A relative of one detained man said the money was intended for a household unable to meet its rent. The police account described it as a payment and set out a list of names. Counsel said that several people on the list had not attended the outing at which the conversation occurred.
A certificate signed by Edwin Voss, electrical adviser to the gardens, accompanied the extracts. It described them as a faithful account of the speech received. Voss was not present to answer questions. Counsel asked that he attend the resumed inquiry.
The police representative said that the information formed part of a wider investigation. He declined to identify the listening point or explain which names had been supplied from other records. No unabridged account was produced during the sitting.
Several residents remain in custody. The association is keeping a list of families who have received no notice of where their relatives are held. Its representative said that visits by officers had extended to homes with no connection to the outing.
The committee has asked for the original notes before its next meeting. The question of authority for the apparatus remains unanswered.
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