LABOUR HITS AT EVATT

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27795, 21 October 1955, Page 13

LABOUR HITS AT EVATT

Leadership May Be Challenged (Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 11 p.m.) CANBERRA, Oct. 20. Labour members of Parliament said today that the speech made last night by their leader, D~. H. V. Evatt, and Dr. Evatt’s letter to the Soviet Foreign Minister, Mr Molotov, would cost the party thousands of votes at the next Federal elections. Dr. Evatt last night revealed that he had written to Mr Molotov, who had replied, through a representative, that the documents surrendered by Vladimir Petrov were false. New South Wales Labour executive members said that Dr, Evatt had made a present of his seat to the Menzies Government. Dr. Evatt’s majority at the last election was 4043, and at the previous election 253. The Labour executive men said that, in the interests of self-preservation, Dr. Evatt’s supporters would now lead a revolt to depose him as leader. One said: “Dr. Evatt has said, in effect, that the three Australian judges (the commissioners who inquired into the Petrov case) are a party to a conspiracy because Mr Molotov says so. The people of Australia hive been asked to accept Mr Molotov’s decision.” Another executive member said: “Who would be prepared to campaign for Dr. Evatt among Labour men who are in every way opposed to communism? Dr. Evatt has sounded the death-knell of Federal Labour’s election cause.”