VICIOUS COMMUNISTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20986, 24 September 1931, Page 6

VICIOUS COMMUNISTS.

COWARDLY ASSAULT.

LABOUR OFFICIAL ATTACKED.

KICKED INTO UNCONSCIOUSNESS

[from oub own correspondent.] SYDNEY, Sept. 17. During the Jast two or three weeks the Communists in Sydney have been coming more and more into the open, and if it is their desire to embarrass the Labour Party they are certainly succeeding with a vengeance. Of course. Labour has but itself to blame, for it has for years been flirting with the Reds and has more actual Communists within its ranks than it would care to admit. As a matter ,of fact, the leaders openly boast of the fact that they have nothing to do with Reds, but everyone knows that they speak with their tongues in their cheeks. Only last week the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labour Party endorsed as a Labour candidate for a vacancy on the Sydney City Council one Mr. Donald Grant, who every Sunday in the Domain tells all who care to listen that he is an enemy to society as at present constituted. At the time of his endorsement he was bound over to be of good behaviour for 12 months as the re suit of a charge of having used insult ing language to a police sergeant. Ir. Court he said that he would insult mem bers of the police force as long as he had breath in his body. Now he is a city alderman, upholding the banner »' Labour. One Man Attacked by Six. The activities of the Reds reached a pretty climax last Tuesday when six of their number took part in a cowardly at tack upon the secretary of the State, branch of the Labour Party, Mr. J. B. Martin, as he was entering the Sydney Trades Hall. The reason for the attack is somewhat obscure, but the leaders of the Labour movement say that it is on account of attacks on the Communist movement by "legitimate" Labour men In short, they assert that the Commun ists have entered upon a policy of intimi dation in order to prevent a criticism ot their policy and tactics. A member of the Labour Party said he had been in formed that the Communists would "get" Mr. Martin because he had publicly at tacked them, but at the time the threat was not taken senously. The Communists have offices in the Trades Hall and the fact that a number of them waited at the entrance did not arouse suspicion. The attack was well planned. As soon as Mr. Martin turned to enter the mam door he was struck a heavy blow on the head, and instantly the six Communists hemmed him in and rained heavy blows on his body. "You Will Be the Next." Mr. Martin retaliated by heavily punching one of the attackers, but the others came to the man's assistance and it was not long before>they, had Mr. Martin on the floor and were kicking him mercilessly. Mr. Martin was knocked into semiconsciousness. The commotion caused several typists to scream for help, and as soon as help arrived the Communists made off. As they ran they said to another official of the Labour Party: "You will be the next." Alderman Garden, secretary of the Trades and Labour Council, said he had often been threatened by the Communists. Tuesday's attack is likely to lead to a complete dissociation of the official Labour Party and industrial organisations affiliated with the Australian Labour Party from the Communists. All bodies working under the guidance of the Communist Party, which sometimes has the support of the Labour Party on important public questions, may be banned altogether, and efforts will certainly be made to eject them from the Trades Hall.