Queensland Railwaymen’s Decision

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26719, 13 March 1948, Page 7

Queensland Railwaymen’s Decision

WATERSSDERS STAY OUT IN SYMPATHY New Zealand Press Association—Copyright. Rec. 10 p.m. BRISBANE, Mar. 12. Mass meetings of Queensland rail strikers to-day decided by overwhelming majorities tto continue their strike, which is now in its thirty-ninth day. The Brisbane watersiders voted to stay out in sympathy wiith the railwaymen. At Ipswich, the 1 main railway yards in Queensland, the voting to continue the strike was 1950 to 50, according to trades hall officials. Six men, including Michael Healy, secretary of the Trades and Labour Council, and Edward Conrad Englart, the Queensland secretary of the Waterside Workers’ Federation, appeared to-day in the Brisbane Eolice Court charged with attempting to persuade men at the Shell .oil depot from working and with failing to keep away when warned by a police sergeant. „ Mr Max Julius, who appeared for the defendants, said that the “Industrial Law Amendment Act recently enacted appears to be such a tyrannical invasion of civil rights of the citizens that counsel requires to consider its validity.” The charges were adjourned. Earlier to-day, Messrs Healy and Englart again led pickets who paraded in front of the Shell depot. Their names and those of nine other men were again taken.

While hundreds of Brisbane pickets continued to defy the drastic new antipicketing law, the police replied by issuing summonses to men whose names had been taken.

At Ipswich the word “ traitor ” has appeared, written in tar two feet high on the fences of two members of Parliament, the Attorney-general, Mr D. A. Gledson, and Mr D. Donald. Although talks between the Central Disputes Committee and the Commissioner of Railways, Mr T. E. Maloney, were not successful, an offer by Mr Maloney not to oppose in court the granting of a 12s 4d marginal wage increase for fitters is believed to have satisfied many members of the Amalgamated Engineering Union. The New South Wales Transport Department has agreed to waive the road tax of 3d a ton mile on a convoy of 15 trucks which will take food by road to strike-bound Queensland from Sydney next week. The convoy is due at Sydney with 135 tons of fruit from Queensland, also tax free. All applications for tax-free road haulage will be examined closely.