AUSTRALIAN STRIKES

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 November 1944, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN STRIKES

INCREASING CONCERN k

GOVERNMENT AND UNIONS

SYDNEY, October 30. An upsurge of industrial unrest in New South Wales has challenged the Allied war successes for Australian public attention in rhe news. More than 6000 workers in Sydney alone will be involved in labour disputes this week. Watersiders, rubber workers, and glass workers are those mainly concerned. Stoppages in New South Wales mines nave brought coal losses for October to 165,000 tons — the biggest loss since last March. Inconveniences suffered by the Sydney public at various stages of the month have included lack of regular daily newspapers, a meat famine, and a taxi and goods transport stoppage. On all sides grave concern is being expressed at the number of industrial disputes. Labour leaders fear the effect in their electorates of this unrest. The Labour leaders are anxious to see staole conditions, particularly in coal mines. No observer has been able to diagnose clearly, the causes of the present industrial lawlessness. War tiredness is certainly a main basic reason. Both the employers and Union representatives have claimed, during the past week, that Communist influences are to blame. Their published statements, however, have been couched in general terms, with the supporting proofs. Some social philosophers declare that Australia is witnessing the beginnings of a Syndicalist Revolution, aimed at eventual trade union control of society. In terms of population, Australia is the strongest trade union nation in the world with more than 1,200,000 unionists. In the past five years, union membership has grown by nearly 400,000. Many other reasons have also been advanced for the deterioration in relations between employers and employees. The Sydney “Telegraph” publishes a public opinion poll to-day. This shows that 90 per cent, of the people deplore the industrial unrest, 50 per cent, blame the Government weakness, and 85 per cent, advocate more severe disciplniary measures against strikers.

The seriousness of the position is indicated by published figures of growth of industrial troubles. In 1940 Australia had 350 industrial disputes, or fewer than in the two previous years. In 1941 the figure was 567. In 1942 it was about 600. In 1943 there were nearly 800. This year’s trend is still upward. In 1942 nearly one million working days were lost in industrial stoppages, and this figure was almost equalled in the first quarter of the current year.

FEDERATION BALLOT

SYDNEY, October 31

Hopes of an improvement in Australian production have followed the gazetting of a National Security Regulation to validate the decisions of Coal Reference Boards. Earlier, the High Court had reversed an award by the Northern New South Wales Coal Tribunal, granting pay increases to miners at certain northern mines. The Court held that this new award contravened the war-time wage pegging laws. The Government believes that the new validating regulation will remove one big grievance among the miners. The miners claim that they are not seeking the repeal of tl?e wage pegging laws, but merely the correction of anomalies.

A ballot for positions on the Miners’ Federation Executive is closing to-morrow. It is likely to have an important bearing on the future of the industry. The return of Mr. H. Wells, as President, would be an indication that the miners, generally, believe in the policy of full production for wartime needs, and the reduction of the stoppages to those that also considered unavoidably by the Executive. The defeat of Mr. Wells might be a sign that those miners who believe in direct action have gained a majority. To-day only five of the New South Wales mines are idle, but the total coal losses for October have exceeded 175,000 tons. The heaviest coal losses this year were in January and March, the tonnages lost being 200,000 and 185,000 tons respectively. During the last two years not a single week has been free of strikes in New South Wales coal mines. This year has seen 433 separate stoppages. In the first eight months of the year the coal losses exceeded one million tons, compared with one and a-quarter million tons lost in the whole of 1943.

MR. CURTIN’S CONFERENCE

MELBOURNE. November 1

Mr. Curtin will confer with trade union leaders at the end of the month on labour and industrial problems. Mr. Curtin said he hoped the conference would go a long way to ensure maximum effort and production. • The secretary of the Australian Council of Trades Unions (Mr. Monk) i who has consulted with Mr. Curtin said questions would be raised affecting the relations between the Government and the trade unions. Grievances among coal miners are expected to be an important item for discussion. PARLIAMENTARIANS FIGHT (Rec. 12.40 0.m.) BRISBANE, November 1. Two members, both powerful 14 stoners, fought with their fists in the lobby of Parliament House last night and blood was shed. The contestants i were the State Transport Minister ; (Mr. Walsh) and a private member ! (Mr. T. Aitkens), who had had frequent verbal exchanges during the day. After a wordy altercation in the House Mr. Walsh invited Mr. Aitken to fight it out, and the men went into the lobby. The bout ended when the pair were separated by a constable after ineffectual intervention atI tempts had been made by Ministers, ‘ members and people from the public j gallery. One of the contestants had J to have three stitches inserted in a I gash over his left eye. Later, in the House, the principals apologised and the Premier moved an adjournment. PILLAGING ON RAILWAYS SYDNEY, October 31. Railway investigation officers throughout Australia are co-operat-ing in a determined effort to stamp out organised pillaging from trains. A N.S. Wales railways investigation officer said to-day that although there bad been more than 100 arrests during the last 12 months, pilfering from trains still amounts ■ to more than £ 100,000 annually. Pillaging from ships also continues to cause concern. This week the robbery of 200 wristlet watches, valued at £lOOO, from a ship in Sydney was reported. Most of the pillaged property consists of scarce commodities easily disposed of on the black market.

LOAN FAILURE ?

(Recd. 1.30 p.m.) MELBOURNE, Nov. 1. Subscriptions to Australia’s Second Victory Loan of £160,000.000 will be received to the end of this week. The Loan officially closed yesterday. Mr. Curtin said that the final figures were not available, but it seemed doubtful if the Loan had been filled. The late rush of subscriptions had been

substantially less than in previous loans. So far the number of individual subscriptions received represented only one in 12 of Australian income earners. HOUSE EXPLOSION. SIDNEY, October 31. Five police officers missed death by seconds when a house they had searched at Sutherland, about 18 miles south of Sydney, was blown to pieces just after they had left it today. Shortly after the house blew up there was a second explosion some distance away in a secret dump of explosives. Nearby bush caught fire and brigades had to be called out. Property valued at hundreds of pounds, and believed to have been stolen from the Railway Department, was recovered by the police. A-man armed with a rifle or shotgun is now being sought by police squads in the surrounding dense bush.