IN AUSTRALIA

Hokitika Guardian, 18 June 1940, Page 6

IN AUSTRALIA

FASCIST RAIDS. /

MUCH MATERIAL SEIZED.

(Australian. Press Association). BRISBANE, June 17. The police >vere engaged at the (week-end in raids on fascist al *d Communist organisations in Queensland. They seized a large quantity of arms and ammunition, and also tell-tale documents. The'police, have ascertained that there are /at , least four Fascist branches in Queensland, namely, in innisfail, Cairns, Stanthorpe'and Bris-

bane. . Fascist uniforms, literature, and documents relating to the consti- : tution of the Fascist; Party, signed by Signor Mussolini, also, thousands . oi rifles and shot-guns, and eighty thout sand rounds of ammunition, fixteeu thousand- plugs of gelginite, and. eigb thousand: detonators', were seized in Fascist hiding places. From the Communists’ hiding places the police have secured .scores ot rifles, also scares of red flags and bannerls, Iplong with truck loads ot j propaganda. FLAX FOR BRITAIN. . CANBERRA, June VThe Minister, of Supply is creating 1 an Adivisory Committee to assist thq Commonwealth in the cultivation bi ttventv thousand acres of flax, where-, of stocks are. most urgently needed by the United Kingdom for the prosecu- . turn of the war. • AIR SERVICE TO EGYPT. SYDNEY, June 17., , Quanta's Airways managing -direcToi, Mr Hudson Fysh, has announced thay a weekly, air service is to be maintained between Australia and Egypt, linking up with the land plane service between Africa and England. .'The latter service,, namely from Africa to Enjand, however, ..is not at present carrying either passengers or public mails. . .. MR MENZXES’ VIEWS. ' • ; - ■ .SYDNEY, June . 17. . Rt. Hon. R. G. Menzies, commenting on ' the French request for ntruce, said that, even should - France surrender it would, not mean ail endto the war. Britain now remained the defender of the flights to free peoples as against the menace of German domination- Britain, had great resources, •and would continue the war until victory was won. PRIME MINISTER’S STATEMENT. .. * MELBOURNE, June 17. . 'The .Prime-Minister, Mr Menzaes. said: “The great advantage of our home defence scheme, is that the crea-i tion and jtransjpariaftiqn of /aircraft will not be permitted to weaken Australia’s defences. This is essential, because whatever calamity might oc cur elsewhere, the nation that ..wants to conquer us must . come and. take us. We don’t; come of the surrendering breed. At any one time, between 30,000 and 50,000 members of ..the A.I.F. will be available in Australia, as an effective part of the home defence forces ” I Far-reaching regulations have been made in relation to the new munitions department. Among, other, things they enable jthe director,’ _ General Essington Lewis, to requisition or compulsorily acquire any property he thinks necessary for the . maximum munitions effort; * USE OF COMPULSION. MELBOURNE, June 17. The Victorian Labour Party at its conference to-day decided to recommend to the Federal Labour Conference, (which opens to-morrow,/,: important changes in Labour’s defence policy. The Victorian Labour Party still opposes the. raising of , military, forces for service outside of Austra lia, but it will,; iinder its new policy, permit the raising of such forces foji use on the lands and waters adjacent to Australia and to New Zealand for strategical defence requirements. In view of the Australian Government’s declaration against the use oJ conscription for overseas service, the Victorian Labour Party recommends that the Labour Party’s plank for the deletion from the Defence Act of all clauses relating to compulsory training shall stand in abeyance for the duration .of the war.