NO BAN INTENDED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26713, 6 March 1948, Page 7

NO BAN INTENDED

COMMUNIST PARTY IN AUSTRALIA CANBERRA, Mar. 5. The Government did not intend to ban the Communist Party or any class of political philosophy, said the Prime Minister, Mr Chifley, in the House of Representatives. He was replying to Mr Blain (Independent, Northern Territory), who asked whether the Australian Communists intended to organise obstruction to the rocket range project in Central Australia, and if so, whether the Government would continue to treat the Communist Party as an ordinary political group.

Mr Blain asked if the Government would immediately reimposo the ban placed on the Communists during the war but lifted by the Curtin Government in 1942. Mr Blain said that in Canada secret Communist agents had betrayed vital national secrets to the Russians. The Communists had played a traitorous part in Australia before Germany invaded Russia and they would play a traitorous part again if there was a war against the Soviet. Mr Chifley said security investigations had revealed no evidence of any organisation having been set up to oppose the construction of a rocket range. The security service kept a constant scrutiny over the rocket range and other national works.

Caucus deferred discussion on a motion to set up a party committee to investigate subversive activities in Australia.