LABOUR STRIFE IN AUSTRALIA

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24740, 4 December 1945, Page 5

LABOUR STRIFE IN AUSTRALIA

Miners And Seamen Strike

AUSTRALIA’S DEFENCE

“ 1 GENERAL UPHEAVAL FEARED (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 12.10 a.m.) SYDNEY, December 3. to-morro^* 6 MCOTdint 1 fi rike 7? 1 begin in New South Wales iffldSE tolnfeht d lt ? E A*}Z men Z made by the miners’ otnciais to-night. It is feared that the cessation of work on the coalfields and a strike by seamen will cause widespread industrial upheaval throughout Australia. widespread The votes cast at meetings of miners to-day were roughly Wales* 0 t At° °fif era * coal stoppage in New South Wo longonl thl the larges . l meetings—Cessnock and Wollongong—the voting was against a strike, but at nearly every other centre the men supported the hold-up in sympathy with the striking steel workers. 3 a T5 e i S !, ame ? ! n . Sydney ’ Newcastle, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Adelaide voted for a stoppage on coal ships and those carryS P i°iri S - °Vh* ,! , rok c?" Hi " Proprietary or Australian Iron and Steel, Limited. In Sydney the seamen voted 10 to one in favour of a strike, while at NeAvcastle the vote in favour of a strike was unanimous. . , , T .*J e !? e enJ n i er of . South Australia (Mr T. Playford) said in Adelaide that from to-morrow night practically all industry in South Australia would come to a standstill because of the coal shortage. Eighteen ships are tied up at Newcastle, including the Broken Hill Proprietary’s entire fleet of II vessels. pi production loss to-day is estimated at more than 61,000 tons.

A high authority in Canberra repeated that the Prime Minister (Mr Chifley) is determined not to Intervene because he would be conceding a tactical victory to the Communist-controlled Miners’ Union, which last week delivered an ultimatum that he should intervene. Mr Chifley’s contention is that the dispute is before the Court and is being handled by the New South Wales Labour Council's disputes committee. Mr Chifley himself would make no comment whatever. The executive of the New South; Wales Labour Council is reviewing the position to-day. One proposal is that Mr Chifley should call a conference of the Australasian Council of Trade Unions, the Sydney Labour Council, and the unions involved, and refer the dispute to the Commonwealth Arbitration Court. With the miners on strike it will not be long before all trains and trams will cease running and the generation of electric power brought to a standstill. The Railway Department has oniy little more than a week’s supply of coal. An official said: “When that cuts _ out. so will everything else.” . Widespread and disastrous effects on industry will follow with at least , 500 000 workers thrown out of employment. Essential services will be cut dpwn and food supplies restricted. and gas rationing will comnyince immediately. City utilities, inc uding hospitals, will be thrown into , ch°os by strict rationing. Worse will fo’low if coal cuts out. 'mmeeiate gas rationing in the whole ■ cf the Melbourne metropolitan area began to-day and drastic cuts in coal for almost all Victorian industries are expected. Similar restrictions are likely in South Australia and Queensland Government officials expressed the opinion that rationing of gas and electricity will be inevitable if the Queensland miners decide at their aggregate meetings on Wednesday to go onstrike. “Peace” Talks Postponed Earlier, the Prime Minister announced that, because of “the present state of industrial disturbance,” the peace in industry talks, due to begin next week, had been postponed indefinitely. In his statement, Mr Chifley said: “It is clear that under the present conditions in the industrial sphere such a conference would be unlikely to achieve valuable results." The conference was designed to bring about ' harmony in industry and it was to have been attended by representatives of the employers and the employees. The New South Wales Liberal Party Conference unanimously carried a resolution at the week-end demanding Fed- • eral Government action to settle industrial unrest. Speaking to a motion that the Liberal Party protest against “the alarming ■ failure of both the State and Federal Governments to uphold the rule of law by encouraging breaches of the law among their own supporters, and by refusing to take action against them,” the Leader of the State Opposition (Mr A. Mair) said: "Australia is tottering on the verge of, anarchy and revolution.” It is unlikely, however, that Mr Chifley will make any move in the strike position. He has the support of the delegates to last week’s Australian Labour Party conference in his resolution to stand firm against all demands to intervene. At the Labour conference there was unanimous condemnation of any general strike and industrial turmoil. The delegates informed Mr Chifley that they would keep aloof from the miners and seamen if their Communist leaders forced them into a strike. The Communist View . The president of the Communist Party (Mr L, Sharkey) declared that the Communists did not want a gen- • era] strike at present. "The Communist view is that a general strike should only be called when there is a revolutionary situation and the workers are ready to take power,” he said. Mr Sharkey denied that the. strikes wore the result of a Communist plot. The Sydney “Sun” says: “Among the objectives of the wreckers is trades unionism itself. The Communist Party seeks to destroy any organisation that stands against its complete control. This present attack by the Communist leaders in Australia upon the jobs and living standards of hundreds of thou- • sands of workers has as its object final anarchy during which a well-organised,, minority may be able to snatch con-’ trol.” Commenting on the statement by the Minister of Defence (Mr J. A. Beasley) that the industrial unrest, which is splitting the community to-day. could deliver Australia over to some form of •fascism, the Sydney “Daily Telegraph” says: “Fascism has arisen in communities wh6re law has failed to work and the people have become fed up with disorder and all the miserable deprivation it entails. He would be an ostrich tvith his head in the sand who refused to recognise that the law in this country is rapidly ceasing to guarantee us that peace and security that industry must have if it is to provide livelihoods and fulfil essential services." Soviet Honours U.S. Diplomat.—Mr Joseph E. Davies, the former United “tates Ambassador to Moscow and author of “Mission to Moscow,” was awarded the Order of Lenin for his activities on behalf of Russian-Ameri-can friendship at a ceremony at the hoviet Embassy in Washington.— Washington, December 2. ..Storm on U.S. Coast.—A storm along the northern New York State and'N'ew England coasts yesterday caused the deaths of 32 persons.. The storm was - the worst in 20 years. The wind at tunes blew at 118 miles an hour. Heavy :.■> tains turned into snowstorms. Motor ' indents caused most of the deaths, — New York, December 2.

PLANS OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT POWERFUL AIR FORCE PROPOSED (Special Australian Corresp., N.Z.P.A.) <R «“ BAPn?),. 8 A Pn ? ) ,. Sy DNEY, December 3. Ine Australian Labour t Party’s conference having decided against compulsory military training, the Federal Government is expected to proceed with plans for a powerful Air Force. Governm ent also proposes to provide strong defence forces in Australia • improved conditions, and probably pensions, for the rank afid me, to make the service attractive to volunteers. It is agreed that a substantial permanent land force will be maintained, Canberra correspondents say the Prime Minister (Mr Chifley) believes that the Labour conference’s decision against compulsory training will not affect Australia’s long-range defence policy. The Prime Minister thinks that in a future war ■ everyone—men, women, and children—would have to learn atomic bomb precautions. Australia would have to khow about atomic bomb measures for defence as well as for offence. For the immediate future, Mr Chifley foresees attractive careers for young Australians in the permanent standing Army approved by the conference. The substantial air, naval, and military forces which Australia will maintain will, he thinks, provide a valuable avenue of employment. The full Cabinet will consider the nation’s defence policy when it meets in Canberra next month. It is certain that a continually expanding Air Force will be a feature of the defence plans. Up to 50 squadrons have been mentioned as the first objective. An initial standing Army of 50,000 men has been recommended by Army experts. This number may be increased or reduced according to obligations Australia will undertake on behalf of the United Nations Security Council. In spite of the general decision against compulsion, the Government will be free to reinstate call-ups of young men for Island garrison duty if its plans for voluntary recruiting break down. Opponents of Conscription The most bitter opposition against “conscription” at the Labour conference came from the Victorian, South Australian, and Tasmanian delegates. Those delegates in favour of it were from states which had been shelled from the sea or bombed by the Japanese during the war. The Opposition leaders have voiced disappointment at the conference’s decision. Mr R. 'G. Menzies commented that Labour was fast returning to its pre-war isolationism and unreality in its defence policy. Universal training was a vital substructure of any real Australian defence, he said. The rejection by the Australian Labour Party of compulsory training destroyed real national defence at one blow. "Thiia latest binding decision against training—not merely against conscription —is fantastic and dangerous.” be added. Questioned about post-war compulsory training, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff (Field-Marshal Lord Alanbrooke) said: “I think it would be a good thing if we went on training young men, as it would be ofle of the best antidotes for war.” Lord Alanbrooke, who arrived back from New Zealand at the week-end, will discuss with the Australian defence chiefs the Imperial defence problems to be faced in the change from war to peace. “ATOMIC CAR” RIDICULED , COMMENT BY LEADING SCIENTISTS (Rec. 7 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 2. Three of Britain’s leading scientists have pooh-poohed the claim of Dr. John Wilson to have invented an atomicpowered car. Professor M. L. Oli.phant. who was one of the leading scientific contributors to the atomic bomb, described Dr. Wilson's claim as “absolute rot.” The secretary of the Royal Society (Dr. A. V. Hill) said; “It is complete rubbish.” Sir Lawrence Bragg, Cavendish Professor of Experimental Physics, at Cambridge, said: “The claim is about as serious as that of the man who said he could locate planes by waving bits of his wife’s corsets in the air,” Dr. Wilson, replying to these comments, said; “I am riot interested in their views. I worked alone, and they are trying to pick my brains. My car is driven by atomie'energy from uranium. heavy water, and another chemical which 1 will not divulge.” IDr. Wilson, of Harrow, who Is 70 years of age, a few days ago arranged to demonstrate what he claimed to be the first atomic oar to motoring correspondents, scientific writers, and others, including th» Minister of Fuel and Power (Mr E. Shinweli). When they had assembled. Dr Wilson arrived with the news that the car had been "sabotaged." He said vital parts had been smashed, and he suspected that this was done by persons who feared the effect of the new car on the industry.]