AUSTRALIA

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 March 1943, Page 6

AUSTRALIA

MR. LANG EXPELLED.

SYDNEY, March 6. Mr. J. T. Lang, former State Premier, has been expelled from the Australian Labour Party by the New South Wales State executive. The voting was 28 votes to eight. A general charge made against him alleged disruptive tactics in the Labour movement.

Mr. Lang’s expulsion means that he will not receive endorsement as a Labour candidate for the next Federal elections in which he has announced his intention of contesting the seat. His supporters claim that Mr. Lang may resign control of the State Labour movement at the annual conference in June. PATENTMEDICINES CANBERRA, March 6. The House of Representatives has disallowed the Government’s Proprietary Medicine Regulations, gaz- # etted last October, which gave the Minister of Health wide powers over the manufacture and advertising of patent medicines. Cabinet is expected to “freeze” all drugs and chemicals as a result of the disallowance.

The Government’s defeat on such a minor issue is not vital. For the first time the two Victorian Independents (Messrs A. W. Coles and A. Wilson) voted together against the Government to secure the disallowance of the regulations, which were challenged by the Opposition on the' grounds that they were an abuse of, power and did nothing to assist in the prosecution of the war. WOMEN IN INDUSTRIES SYDNEY, March 7. | Three hundred women between the ages of 18 and 35 have been drafted, to start work in Sydney canneries onj Monday. None of the women is gain- ■ fully employed, and they are considered to have little domestic responsibility. It is expected that Australia will .apply compulsion of female labour on a wholesale scale within the next few weeks.

This first mass drafting has been made to cope with hundreds of tons of peaches which will shortly pour into the canneries. “If the peaches are not processed immediately they will rot,” explained a senior manpower official. “Australia cannot afford such a colossal waste of food.” TAXATIONFRAUDS. CANBERRA, March 7. To stop taxation frauds, by some aliens and refugees, taxation officials recently combed foreign communi- I ties, reaping rich harvests for the Commonwealth. The amounts collected were so staggering that the Federal Treasurer (Mr. J. ,B. Chief-

ley) decided to strengthen the investigation branch of the Taxation Department. Investigations showed that some aliens operate only in cash, which enabled them to dispense with revealing documents. Certain firms controlled by foreigners used as many as five languages in compiling their accounts. Refugees on arrival in Australia, often with staggering amounts in liquid assets, invest their money and then fail to furnish returns.

The Taxation Department is roping in certain aliens who, while they seek refuge in Australia, refuse to pay their lawful taxation to the country that i§ protecting them. TEXTILE STRIKE ENDED. (Recd. 1.5 p.m.) SYDNEY, March 8. A mass meeting of the striking taxtile workers in the Sydney area decided to return to work. Between seven and eight thousand workers are affected by the decision. Four textile workers, charged with absenteeism, have been fined amounts varying from five to ten pounds.