FUTILE CONFERENCES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25668, 17 October 1944, Page 6

FUTILE CONFERENCES

SYDNEY PRESS DISPUTE NO SETTLEMENT REACHED (N.Z.P.A. Special Aust. Correspondent) (Rec. 10 p.m.) SYDNEY, Oct. 16. Conferences extending over three days between representatives of the Sydney newspapers and' the unions concerned in the present press dispute 'have failed so far to reach a settlement. While the spokesmen for the newspapers declare that the men are on strike, the unionists claim that they are locked out. They are seeking to have the dispute confined to the Sun office, where it arose. The story of the trouble, unprecedented in Australian newspaper history, is reported to be the headline news in aii parts of the British Empire and the United States. In Australia it remains the dominating theme for domestic discussion and controversy. Both the newspapers and the unionists have forcefully publicised their sides of the dispute. A special correspondent, writing in to-day’s issue of the composite paper (bearing the imprints of the four Sydney dailies which have had to suspend normal publication), declares that the Australian Communist Party is endeavouring to foment the present trouble in order to establish a daily newspaper. The party already publishes a weekly paper, and has - broadcasting interests. “From their knowledge of Communist Party methods,’’ says the correspondent, “close observers suggest that advantage is being taken of the natural enthusiasm of journalists to. produce newspapers. The News being published as a daily by the unions concerned in the present newspaper dispute is printed by the Communi.V owned weekly, Newsletter. The Communist Party has for a tong time had' a plan to convert the Newsletter into a daily paper. “The Irony of the present situatiqn is that some strongly anti-Communist Federal Ministers, including Mr A. A. Calwell, should be advocating withdrawal of the licences from the existing Sydney daily newspapers in favour of the News. That is exactly what the Communists are after. They wanU a licence which will hold good in the future, and which they otherwise .might have had no hdpe of getting.” In the meantime the News, a publication of considerable journalistic merit and edited with Puckish wit, reports complete sell-outs of each edi-. tion. The paper claims that some people paid more than 10s for copies of its Sunday issue. The News features local rather than overseas news. The composite paper has increased its size from four to eight broadsheet pages, The News is a tabloid publication. |