UNION SPLIT.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18634, 8 March 1926, Page 4

UNION SPLIT.

AUSTRALIAN SEAMEN. . WALSH AND JOHANNSEN. | (FBOK ODS • OWX COEBBSPOUBBSl.) SYDNEY, February 26. Internal dissension, arising mainly out o$ the handling of the recent strike of British.seamen, has marked the affairs of the Australian Seamen's Union since the end of 1925. There is bitter vrar being waged ljetween two factions, and curiously these factions are led by those erstwhile partners in one of the. greatest constitutional fights in. Aus-, tralia's history, Messrs Walsh and Joli-' annsen. So frequently have their; names been coupled- in seamen's affairs that it was thought by the general public with no inside knowledge that they were as inseparable in adversity and prosperity alike as the Siamese twins.- But apparently this is not so. According to the best authority, the split between fhe. two men started when they were •incarcerated on Garden Island, Sydney,.during the hearing in the High Court of their appeal against deportation. At all events; it was not long after their release, that Johannaen began castjng black suspicion on Walsh and some of Walsh's cronies concerning the handling of the Victorian branch's finances. The New South Wales branch appointed Johannsen as head of a committee to investigate financial matters. The Victorian officials, urged By Walsh, who had hurried over from Sydney, resolutely refused to hand over the books. The climax came in Sydney ,on Tuesday A stopwork meeting of seamen was held, and ended in disorder, with Walsh and Johannsen excitedly gesticulating at each other. Johannsen made a speech lasting for an hour and 20 minutes, charging Walsh, who is general president, Raeburn (general secretarv) and the Victorian branch officials with sabotage of the Sydney committee's investigations. Proposing a vote of no-confidence, he alleged that t-licy had been slack in their dutv. that the Sydney committee had been ' hinde red in its work, and that £1072 of the union's funds was missing. Mr Kaeburn gave these allegations .the lie direct. After many pleasantnes had been exchanged, the chief actors found themselves talking mainly to themselves about, themselves, and the meei ing faded away. Dirty Linen. While this happy Httle iunction was , being staged in Sydney, the Tic branch was engaged in similar scr

bing of dirty linen ono member who had, 'MjplHH to investigate finano*j|l!slffilSfflj ported that a member bo found to be he made had slashed this man's tie hotly defied the riedly left the room. munists and the charges against him. are stated to indfcatfK|a|B|HH union's coupons, anSiSWB|IMHM the city to the order member of the union. taut secretary of the that a detective-had on the, matter, and nas shown that been used, prosecution*/ launched. - a. -fffSßl The half-yearly wWf®|sH New South Wales branch , shows that the ' off than at, the : year, and that result yaftwßHßß after "bonwiriej'' ish seamen'i relief 'fwg. a decrease in the a £BO4. The British seamen'tfjMß totalled £2803. All ttoiwMH banked with the funds of Cranch, and "owing in branch 'DhII on to th£ extent of £i4, TWwHjBB under ..the head "wage*' l jrafSSSB £S97 for the half yearT&n%s for the .same