QUEENSLAND RAILWAYS

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 September 1927, Page 7

QUEENSLAND RAILWAYS

TRAINS TO RESUME SOON. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) BRISBANE, Sept. 8. A fully-attended meeting of the Maryborough Branch of the Guards, Shunters’ and Conductors’ Association to-day unanimously resolved declaring their determination to return to work as directed by the Railway Commissioner. The meeting also called upon the Disputes Committee to deal with the South Johnstone strikers, giving them an ultimatum that they must accept the offey of the Arbitration Court or else all support will be withdrawn from them, and they will be declared “black.” There is now every likelihood of other members of the Guards Association following Maryborough’s lead, and if they do, trains will probably run on Monday as with all the running staff working the rest of the staff could be dispensed with for the time being.

A meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party defeated a “no confidence” motion in Mr McCormack’s Cabinet by thirty-eight votes to four. The Arbitration Court has ordered the South Johnstone strikers back to work on the terms proposed on Saturday last, stating that if they are not carried out within twenty-four hours, the Court would give the mill management whatever relief it liked to apply for. If this order is not accepted, it will result in the deregistration of all the unions involved. The general business and industrial position is becoming more acute, and wholesale dismissals are being made or being threatened. Fearing possible trouble at Cairns where it is felt a clash may occur between farmers and strikers, as on former occasions, a large force of police was secretly despatched by boat from Brisbane, but, in view of the split in the ranks of the strikers, it is anticipated the dispute would be ended before any trouble occurs.