LABOUR PARTY IN AUSTRALIA

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28153, 17 December 1956, Page 9

LABOUR PARTY IN AUSTRALIA

CHARTERS WITHDRAWN FROM BRANCHES (ty-Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 7 p.m.) SYDNEY, December 15. The Federal Labour Leader (Dr. Herbert V. Evatt) is a member of the ( Australian Labor Party's Mosman branch, which had its charter withdrawn by the party's State executive last night. The executive withdrew charters from the Mosman, Erskineville and Alexandria branches, and suspended the Waverley branch’s charter and expelled 45 party members, including 23 from the Wagga branch. The reason for the disciplinary action was that members had either joined, or given aid to, the Democratic Labour Party. A prominent Labour official said today that Dr. Evatt’s membership of the party would not be affected. The Democratic Labour Party’s general secretary (Mr J. Kane) replied today to the statement yesterday by the Australian Labour Party’s president (Mr F. Campbell) that the “A.L.P. will fight the Democratic Party as ruthlessly as it did the Reds.” “If the Evatt party fights the D.L.P., as ruthlessly as it did the Reds in the Australian Engineering Union I election we have little cause to worry,” said the reply. [The Communists won the two key positions in the union’s ballot this week.]