James (Jim) Henry Edwards
Jim Edwards is the figure commonly associated with the Auckland riots of 1932.
Jim arrived in New Zealand in 1913 at the time of the Waterfront Strike. He worked as a strike breaker during this time, though he later regretted it. In 1914 Jim became involved in the New Zealand Socialist Party, a choice that is likely to have been influenced by his exposure to the protest movement of the Waterfront Strike. In 1922 he joined the Labour Party and stood unsuccessfully for a seat on the council. He was also actively involved in the waterside workers' union. In 1931 Jim became disillusioned with the Labour Party and transferred his allegiance to the Communist Party. The same year he became involved in unemployed workers' organisations as unemployment rates continued to increase. He helped to establish the National Unemployed Workers Movement, which was influenced by a group in Britain of the same name. This group opposed the Labour Party and attacked trade unions that were not doing enough to provide assistance for the unemployed. Because of the groups links to the Communist Party they were repudiated by these organizations. In October 1931 Edwards was involved in the occupation of a house after taking a leading role in the UWM's Anti-Eviction Committee. This lead to his arrest and one months imprisonment. Earlier that year he had been involved in a clash between unemployed workers and the police, where the workers threw bricks at the labour bureau in Queen Street. On this event Jim was arrested and bound over to keep the peace.Edwards gained public notoriety after being struck on the head by a baton in 1932, an event which somewhat resulted in the Auckland riots. In April of 1932, Jim attempted to calm a crowd of frustrated unemployed but was hit by a policeman's baton. This infuriated the crowd and spurred on the violence of the Auckland Depression riots. When Edwards returned from hospital he found that he was wanted by the police, who held him responsible for the riots. He remained in hiding for six weeks before turning himself in. As a result of his involvement in the Auckland riots, Edwards served a two year prison sentence with hard labour. Edwards' biography, "Break Down These Bars" gives a working-class perspective of the Great Depression in New Zealand. |