N.S.W. LABOUR PARTY HOLD RUSSIAN SOCIETY TO BE COMMUNIST LURE

Grey River Argus, 24 August 1948, Page 5

N.S.W. LABOUR PARTY HOLD RUSSIAN SOCIETY TO BE COMMUNIST LURE

SYDNEY, Aug. 23. The State Minister of Housing, Mr Clive Evatt, who is a brother of the Australian Minister of External Affairs, Dr H. V. Evatt, refused to comment on the statement by the New South Wales president of the Australian Labour Party, Mr J. A. Ferguson, a member of the Assembly that the Australian Russian Society was a Communist Party auxiliary. Mr Evatt is at present in Canberra attending the Premiers’ Conference. In the N.S.W. Legislative Assembly last week, Mr Evatt said that it was a deliberate falsehood to describe the society as Communist-controlled and added: “If any member of the Opposition can nominate a member of this society who is a member of the Communist Partv or a Communist sympathiser, I will write out my resignation to-day, but I will not be bludgeoned and blackmailed out of trying to preserve peace in the world.” Mr Evott’s position as president of the society has caused considerable controversy since its chairman, the Rev. D. J. Davidson, announced his resignation from the society on August 4. The N.S.W. president of the Labour Party, Mr Ferguson, in his report said: “This report is based on a dependable investigation, which leaves, no doubt in the minds of the committee that the society is just another example of trickery to deceive prominent people into allowing themselves to be used. Nobody could be condemned for his association with any valid attempt to promote friendship between the nations and to aid the cultural development of any country. The Australian Russian Society’s use of this as part of its policy is regarded by the committee as an inexcusable means to conceal a cunning political purpose.” A panel of senior officers of the Labour Party will ask the State executive next , Friday to declare the Russian Society is an auxiliary of the Communist Party. ANGLICAN BISHOP AND CLERIC RESIGN FROM AUSTRALIAN RUSSIAN SOCIETY (Rec. 8.30). SYDNEY. Aug. 23. Rt. Rev. Bishop Cranswick, of the Australian Board of Missions, and also the Rev. W. G. Coughlan, of the Church of England Christian Social Order Movement, have to-day resigned from the Australian Russian Society. Ln a letter to the Society, the Rev. Mr Coughlan said: —“There has come to my notice evidence that, convinces me that, whatever the Society may have been in its early stages, it has, recently, come so much under the Communist Party’s control, that I can no longer remain a member.” The letter added that for almost a fortnight the Society had not answered his (Mr Coughlan’s) request that it should repudiate any association with an attack made on the Rev. JVIr J. Davidson, by the Communist paper “Tribune” for resigning his chairmanship of the Russian Society. Bishop Cranswick gave Rev. ’Mr Coughlan his written resignation to send to the Society, if necessarv. After conversations with Rev. Mr Davidson. both of the resignations were sent forward.