REDS FLAILED BY MENZIES FOR WRECKER TACTICS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22917, 8 April 1949, Page 5

REDS FLAILED BY MENZIES FOR WRECKER TACTICS

SYDNEY, April 7. Communists in small groups throughout a crowd of 8000 people made an organised attempt to wreck a meeting at the Sydney Stadium last night addressed by the Leader of the Federal Opposition, Mr. R. G. Menzies. Every hostile demonstration brought a counter barrage of - cheering which often drowned the heckling. Many Communist sallies were turned back against the interjectors by Mr. Menzies, who used the Communist behaviour as an example to illustrate his contention that the Communist Party feared and opposed free speech. Police arrested two men, one being a public servant, and charged them with using threatening and indecent language. Amid prolonged cheering Mr. Menzies said: “The Communists obviously came to the meeting to intimidate me. That will be the day. They came here also to intimidate you, but all they have done is to incite your contempt.” All the benefits which the arbitration system, introduced by the Liberal Government, had given the people would be taken away by these “miserable curs and yahoos,” he said. Comrriunists were most active in Australia where the working conditions were the best in the world. The greatest problem in Australia was that of production and the real hold-up was because Communists bad taken charge of vital industries.

This year Australians had to chose between living in a country of free individuals, being regimented by Socialists, or being bullied by Communists.