ANTI-FASCISTS

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 10, 13 January 1932, Page 9

ANTI-FASCISTS

ITALIAN CONSUL ATTACKED

ALIENS IN AUSTRALIA

(From "The Post's" Representative.) SYDNEY, 7th January. Most of tho Southern Europeans who have migrated to Australia; during the past ten years hay in North Queensland,. where- they have found employment on.the sugar/fields. The majority of these are Italians, and it is evident that their ariti-Fascist beliefs have forced- them. to leave their native country for rope in which their Communistic views would' be tolerated. For the time being, at any rate, they have found a haven, in Australia, but they arc'still far from content. -They brought their • feuds with them, and their leaders have never ceased to agitato against the Capitalistic system in genera^ and Mussolini in particular. Racial hatred culminated the other day in an amazing attack by : the: antiFascists on the Italian Consul 'at Ingham, M. Melano, and thus provided further proof of their'total disregard of Australianisni arid^ the observation of British law and order. '

Most of the Italians iv North Queensland .are naturalised, thanks to the liberal laws in Australiaih that connection; but they refuse to> conform to Australian laws and customs, and have caused the police no end of trouble. It was significant that so little did the aliens know of the. issues'at the last General Election that in North Queensland they.recorded thousands of informal votes. Their colonies have been hotbeds of Communism, and vast quantities of Red literature, printed in the Italian language, haiyo been circulated. The police knew that 'bitterness'""'had been aroused, and were quite prepared for the attack on the Consul, but they were not prepared for the subsequent threat by the Italians to raid the local police station, for -the- purpose of rescuing the Italian-who had been arrested and charged with the. assault. Rather than play- their' part as naturalised Britons in conquering the undeveloped resources of the tropics, the Italians appear to regard. the internal conflict in their, own country of far greater importance, but Australians resent the intrusion of Italian feuds into the life of tho Commonwealth. The attack upon Signor Melano is similar to that which was directed against the former Italian Consular agent at Innisfail, Signor G Luciano, during a visit to Cairns about Christmas time of 1929, when antiFascists attempted to secure the Royal Italian insignia he was wearing in his coat. Signor Luciano fought off his attackers, and prompt action by the Cairns police brought an \innleasant incident to a close. '"

For many years Italians have had a monopoly of employment on tho Northern sugar fields, but the demand that Britons should be given preference grew with such forco that scores of foreigners havo been ousted during-tho last two years, and have left for the south during the past few months, but it is not known where they intend tcv settle. They will not be very welcome in any State. . ' '•' '