COMMUNIST ACTIVITY IN TRADE UNIONS CONDEMNED BY A.L.P.

Grey River Argus, 23 March 1949, Page 7

COMMUNIST ACTIVITY IN TRADE UNIONS CONDEMNED BY A.L.P.

CANBERRA, March 21. The annual conference of Industrial groups of the Australian Labour Party condemned the activities of Communists in the trade union movement. Members of the Australian Labour Party who supported the Communists were warned that if they continued to do so, action would 1 be taken against them. The chairman of the conference (Mr T. Junor) said that the Communits Party was opposed to all the reforms introduced by the Labour Government because they had improved the conditions of the workers. The Communist Party had embarked on a systematic campaign to discredit Labour’s White Australia policy. It was trying to turn public opinion against the 40-hour week by keeping production as low as possible. WHAT MENZIES WOULD DO The Leader of the Federal Opposition, Mr R. G. Menzies, addressing a meeting at Newcastle, said the strongest action possible would be taken against the Communist Party if the Liberal Party were returned to power at the next election. He said that militant Communism was anti-British, anti-American and anti-democratic. It was the fifth column for Russia, which was now engaged in active war against the Allied nations by Wocxading Berlin. Mr Menzies added that Liberalism, Socialism and Communism would be three conflicting ideas represented in the election campaign and it was urgent that the people should study them to determine by which system Australia should be run. Mi' Menzies revealed that tne Liberal Party favoured incentive payments. He said that Australia could solve its production problem by a widespread system of incentive payments. The Liberal Party stood for rewards for skill.