LABOUR REGIME

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 133, 2 December 1944, Page 8

LABOUR REGIME

RECORD IN AUSTRALIA

STRONG OPPOSITION ATTACK ' RnS. l« 4oi pj°.- CANBERRA, Dec. 2. " J-ne Federal Government had betrayed. P»t"otfcA us t ra iJans as well as the Allied fighting men, said the leader of the' Country Party, Mr. A. W. Fadden speaking in the final stage of the debate on {the, war. statement by the Acfing Erime Minister, Mr. Forde.

./Lffr,.Fadden accused, the Government of inaction on the -home front, of subordinating national considerations Ito those of party politics, and of fail-

ling to control industrial anarchy. He ■s^id 'that.the industrial situation had" :continued to deteriorate since the last I Parliamentary recess. In the twenty ;tnonths .to August 31 last 1432 indus■trial,,disputes had involved 588,951 i^&or^ had resulted in the loss |of 1>461,67a working days. In 1943 there were.-812 -industrial disputes, compared Q^J 67 in 1942- They had involved ;355,597 workers* compared with ,193,390 an 1942,.- and- the number of working cays lost-., had .increased from 417,729 to .903,536. At times during the 20 months: to August 31 industrial disiputeschad wholly or partially deprived jthe;- neutral citizen of meat, • bread, laundry, newspapers, car tyres, theatrical hospital attention, iDiises: and trams, coke -for stoves restaurants, hot baths, and travel, as well,as other amenities.

.M^, Fadden blamed Communist agitators for some of' Australia's in- / duiMsjal. troubles,: and asked the Attorney-General to have' a check-up Sfra3#, on. their activities. ' V MR. VPARD'S ARGUMENT. .The^ Minister of Transport, Mr. E. J. .W&cV said that the industrial unrest ,\vas"due to people wondering whether they ; were going once again to be - robbed of the fruits of victory won by; their sacrifices. Mr. Ward referred to the pending banking legislation, !and said that the Government would make its , policy clear at the proper time. '"<"lf we can use hundreds of millions qf pounds' worth of national credit in

we can use it in peacetime for jbuilding homes, for soil and water cbnIservatibn, , and for reafforestation plans," he said.

"The national credit of the country can be used through the Commonrwealth Bank to do these things.. The i Opposition/had better realise that this Government is not going to be intimidated. We are going to effect radical .changes in this country, and the people ,wili; get fhe benefit."

i The session, which included many jhours of bitter recrimination, finally ■ended for.lack of a quorum, arid was adjourned to a date, to be fixed. An Opposition member protested that important matters were being neglected iand;said .that Parliament should sit ■next week.