COMMUNISTS REFUTE STORY OF TRADE MONOPOLY

Grey River Argus, 24 May 1947, Page 5

COMMUNISTS REFUTE STORY OF TRADE MONOPOLY

SYDNEY, May 23. Mr L. Sharkey, General President, of the Communist Party of Australia described as “just an amusing invention” the report that the Communist Party was forming a company to monopolise the Australian shipping trade with the Dutch East Indies. He said the Communist Party favoured the development of trade with Indonesia, but it was a political party which preferred to leave trade to the ordinary channels. The whole story was without foundation. Mr C. H. Campbel], he added, did not represent the Communist Party or anybody else as far as he knew. Mr E. Thornton, secretary of the Ironworkers’ Union said there was no truth in the report. Mr J. Healy, general secretary of the Waterside Workers’ Federation, said “I have never read anything more fantastic in the ‘Arabian Nights’.” Dr. A. Agani, Indonesian Minister of economic affairs, said at Batavia the Indonesian Government knew of no Communist trading company being formed to exploit trade between Australia and Indonesia. All trading transactions between the Republic and the outside world required a Government permit, and the Indonesian Republican Government intended to deal only with reputable and legitimate concerns'.