Gaol The Alternative: Communists Pay Money Into Bank

Northern Advocate, 20 July 1949, Page 5

Gaol The Alternative: Communists Pay Money Into Bank

SYDNEY, Wed. (noon). —Action by the Communist. Party in returning to the bank funds removed allegedly to assist the coal sir.ike has caused much comment.

A statement that the party had paid back into the bank £2760 and had spent legitimately about £ISOO was made in the Arbiratjon Court by Mr ,S. Isaacs, counsel for the Communist Party, during the hearing by Mr Justice Foster of the cases against the party and iis officials concerning money withdrawn from the bank, allegedly to help the striking coal miners.

I lis Honor said ho viewed with considerable salisfaclion what appeared to be acceptance of the law by the Communist. Party. "I think tiie revolution of the Cummunisl Party’s acceptance of the law,”

decision will be made whether or not to ask the Australian Workers’ Union to operate open cut mines immediately, and whether the union should continue the operation after the end of the strike to build up coal stocks. The president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (Mr P. J. Cl a rey) said that it appeared that the door was closed to any conference between the parties before resumption of work. x

lie added, "may be taken as an earnest of their intention to observe it.” “The Communists have thrown in the sponge,” said u Kurri miners’ lodge olliecr.

"Tiie strike picture is poor and those who look to the Communist Party for a load have been disappointed.” The state president of the Australian Labour Party (Mr J. A. Ferguson) said that Communist Party leaders had shown they were unwilling to suffer hardship imposed on others at the will of tlie Communist Party. SIMPLE SOLUTION

The president of Uie New South Wales Employers’ Federation (Mr W. Spooner) criticised the New South Wales and Federal Governments for delay in working open cuts. “LEADERSHIP NEEDED”

“Courageous action to use coal at grass and to put New South Wales open cuts into immediate full-time production could have kept in their jobs the great majority of the men and women at present unemployed,” he said. I

The simple solution of the problem of the men in gaol was to do exactly as the Communist leaders had done—return all the money to the bank and indicate their acceptance of the law, thus purging their contempt. "So Sharkey and his brave conicades paid the party money back and avoided going to gaol.” comments the Sydney Daily Telegraph. "Everyone must share the pleasure ■if Mr Justice Foster to know Ihat the lions of Marx House are really law abiding—-especially when going to gaol is the alternative. "When the miners' funds and their leaders’ skins were in danger the top boys of Marx House were ail for dying at the stake. "When their own funds and skins are involved they are law abiding. "The moral seems obvious.” Mr Chifley. Dr Evatt. Mr MeGirr and other Federal and State Ministers will confer in Sydney today on the coal strike.

“In South Australia imaginative leadership which immediately instituted a seven-day round-the-clock working week at Leigh Creek open cut, has brought about the re-employment of 00 per cent of the workers originally stood down when the miners struck. "Jn Ihis state the Governments have had before them for four weeks the knowledge that our own open cuts could produce on the same schedule more than sufficient coal to maintain essential services with considerable supplies left over for industrial use,” HEAVY LOSS Australian • industry has lost G 4,000.000 man-hours since the beginning of the coal strike on June 27.

Tiie Sydney Morning Herald .computes that it would take 10,000 men working for more than thine years to make good this wasted manpower.

The meeting will probably decide when open cut mining will begin and the Daily Telegraph suggests that a

The strike has already cost £’10.000,000 in wages, and £48.000.000 in goods.

Production losses to date include 800.000 tons of coal. 80.000 tons of steel, 64,000 tons of pig iron, 1280 new homes. 23,000.000 bricks. 1,900,000 tiles and 2500 stoves.

Savings are being used up and people arc running into debt. In New South Wales alone 125.358 people are on unemployment reliefmore than received the doje in the whole of Australia at the height of the depression. The Australian figure for unemployment relief is ,150.476. which is unprecedented. STORE HOURS City retail stores are abandoning the closing time of 3.45 p.m., adopted a fortnight ago to solve the peak hour traffic problem. The main stores are already back at the closing times of 5 p.m. and 5.30 p.m., and others arc following. An emergency Cabinet committee will discuss this matter tomorrow

A city council officer says that street lighting restrictions are a “profitless menace to safety.” v

The police are ol’ the opinio)) that the dimmed lighting is the main cause of the sharp increase in violent crime. ‘‘l believe ihe city council is saving only about 400 kilowatts.” said a lighting official. “That would require 20 tons of coal a week to generate.”