AUSTRALIA

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 April 1943, Page 6

AUSTRALIA

WATERSIDE STRIKE.

SYDNEY, April 7.

The Sydney wharf labourers are expected to end their strike against the gang system at a mass meeting to be held shortly. Signs pointing to an early collapse of the strike are the failure of the men to obtain the support of other unions and prospects of more Army and manpower call-ups if the strike continues. The wharf labourers are estimated to have lost-200,000 man-hours since the dispute began about 10 days ago. The attitude of other unions has been against becoming involved in the strike.

The troops who took over ths work on the wharves have handled the cargoes with considerably greater dispatch than has been cuslomary with skilled union labour. It has not been found necessary to work any night shifts, which have proved costly and slow, since the soldiers have been able to keep the port clear by working only until 9 p.m.

CONTROL OF BROADCASTING SYDNEY, April 6. “The Australian people need to.be very jealous of attempts to bring broadcasting under direct political control, and of its excessive use as a vehicle of official propaganda” says the “Sydney Morning Herald” in a leading article to-day, comnenting on a feeling reported to be prevalent in political circles that broadcasting is a proper activity for control by Parliament. Ministerial control of radio is alleged to have been used in attempts to obtain political patty advantage, and the recent estiblish-

ment of a Parliamentary Standing Committee on broadcasting is seen as a further menace to the functions of the Australian Broadcasting Commission in its nominal control of all matters of policy. Theoretically, the Australian Post-master-General possesses power to compel broadcasting stations to broadcast or not to broadcast any matter specified by him. The Parliamentary Standing Committee was set up partly as a restraint on Ministerial interference. It is bound to report all its deliberations to Parliament. However, some commentators see the committee as a menacing reinforcement of Ministerial power. “The less political interference there is with radio management, the better,” says the “Sydney Morning Herald.” “Freedom of the Press had, to be fought for, and eternal vigilance is the price of its maintenance. Radio, the newest means of communication, must also enjoy ordered liberty and independence if, instead of enlarging the bounds of free ex- | pression it is not to become the crea- i ture of governments and the play- , thing of majorities.” :

NATIONAL GOVT. APPEAL.

(Rec. 1.0 p.m.) MELBOURNE, April 8

“No-single party can win this war,” declared the Leader of the Federal Opposition (Mr. Fadden) reiterating his appeal for an Australian National Government.

Addressing a Country Party conference, Mr. Fadden said that unless Labour was defeated at the forthcoming elections it would have a mandate from the people to proceed with its policy of socialisation. This would mean the ultimate destruction

of the economic structure of the nation and would have disastrous effects on post-war planning. “The ; next elections will be the most moimentous in Australia’s history,” added Mr. Fadden. “From the viewpoint of our future economic stability, our ability to wage a 100 per cent, war in association with our Allies and to place the nation on a sound post-war footing there are dangerous men in the pryent Labour Ministry. No matter how frequently it is denied, there is the strongest evidence that Labour is using the war to implement planks of Labour policy which can have no place in a nation at war. The Government has no mandate for socialisation, but at the coming elections the people will be invited to accept it as a basis for post-war reconstruction. Private enterprise must be defended as an essential condition of material progress. It must not be suppressed and it must be freed from a doctrinnaire of socialistic restrici tion and regulation.” ! WHEAT SURPLUS CANBERRA, April 8. Australia’s accumulated wheat surplus totals bushels, a wheatgrowers’ deputation told Mr Curtin. The deputation asked Mr Curtin to point out to Britain that such a huge surplus was a serious menace to Australian economy. There was urgent need for the export of 100,000.000 bushels this year. Mr Curtin replied that the export of wheat was a tremendous problem, because of the shipping shortage.