Queensland Railway Strike To Continue

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 March 1948, Page 5

Queensland Railway Strike To Continue

BRISBANE, March 12. Mass meetings of Queensland railway strikers today decided by overwhelming majorities to continue their strike, which is now in its thirty-ninth day. Brisbane watersiders voted to stay out in sympathy with the railwaymen. At Ipswich, where the main railway yards in Queensland are situated, the decision to continue the strike was made by 1950 votes to 50, according to Trades Hall officials.

Six men, including Michael Healy, secretary of the Trades and Labour Council, and Edward Conrad Englart, Queensland secretary of the Waterside Workers’ Federation, appeared today in the Brisbane Magistrate’s Court, charged with attempting to persuade men at the Shell oil depot from working, and with failing to keep away when warned by a police sergeant. Mr Max Julius, who appeared for the defendants, said: “The Industrial Law Amendment Act recently enacted appears to be such a tyrannical invasion of the civil rights of citizens that counsel requires to consider its I validity.” The charges were ad- 1 journed. Earlier today, Messrs Healy and Englart for the second time led pickets who paraded in front of the Shell depot. Their names and those of nine other men were taken. Railway Commissioner’s Offer At Ipswich the word “traitor” was written in tar on the fences of two members of Parliament, the Attor-ney-General (Mr D. A. Gledson) and Mr D. Donald. Although talks between the Central

Disputes Committee and the Commissioner of Railways (Mr T. E. Maloney) were not successful, an offer bv Mr Maloney not to oppose in court the granting of the 12s 4d marginal wages increase for fitters, is believed to have satisfied many, members of the Amalgamated Engineering Union. The New South Wales Transport Department has agreed to waive the road tax of 3d a ton-mile on a convoy of 15 trucks, which will take food by road to Queensland from Sydney next week. The convoy is expected at Sydney from Queensland with 135 tons of fruit from Queensland, also tax free. All applications for tax-free road haulage will be examined lyCommunists in Australia The Federal Minister of Repatriation (Mr H. C. Barnard) said today that Communists in Australia were taking advantage of the misfortunes which were the aftermath of the war. He said he agreed with a statement by the Minister of Post-war Reconstruction (Mr J. Dedman) that the Communists needed starvation and chaos in which to pursue their evil aim of revolution.