NO INTERRUPTIONS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27043, 30 March 1949, Page 5

NO INTERRUPTIONS

HEARING OF SEDITION CHARGES AUSTRALIAN COMMUNIST Rec. 11 p.m. SYDNEY, Mar. 29. The hearing of sedition charges in the special Federal Court to-day against Mr L. L. Sharkey, general secretary of the Australian Communist Party, proceeded without interruption. Extra police were posted in the court room and in Martin place, but no Commuiiist demonstrations resulted. The case was adjourned this afternoon until to-morrow morning. The Stevedoring Industry Commission decided to-day to seek advice from the Crown law authorities with a view to prosecuting those responsible for yesterday’s waterfront stoppage. The stoppage was confined to the watersiders in Sydney and Port Kembla and was designed as a protest against the charging of Mr Sharkey. The attempt by the militants to cause nation-wide stoppages in protest against the charging of Mr Sharkey has provoked many anti-Communist demonstrations throughout Australia The most violent was at Rockhampton, Queensland, where a crowd estimated at 1500 broke up a Communist open-air meeting with a fusillade of stink bombs, rotten fruit, and small bags of flour. When ammunition ran low, people threw the wooden boxes in which they had carried the fruit. Police Attacked A strong cordon of police was brushed aside and policemen were punched and kicked in the melee. As the police fought to regain control and called for reinforcements, the crowd drowned out the words of a Communist speaker by singing “ There’ll Always be an England.” The demonstration then became so violent that the inspector of police ordered the Communists to move. Pursued by the crowd and under a constant barrage, they retreated ,jto a shop used as their headquarters. A crowd gathered outside and called on the Communists to come out and fight—but the invitation was net accepted. Three people in the crowd were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.