COMMUNISTS IN AUSTRALIA

Southland Times, Issue 25705, 14 July 1943, Page 5

COMMUNISTS IN AUSTRALIA

Link Repudiated By Mr Curtin , (Special Australian Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 7.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, July 13. The Prime Minister, Mr John Curtin, has dissociated himself from any link between the Australian Labour Party and the Communist Party. His statement is regarded as of great importance because of moves in some states for a united front between the Labour and Communist parties in the coming Federal election campaign. Mr Curtin defined his position when he was asked if he would support Mi’ C. A. Morgan, the endorsed Labour candidate and the sitting member for the Sydney electorate of Reid against Mr J. T. Lang, who is standing as an Independent Labour candidate. “Candidates like Mr Lang or any other nondescript or Communist candidate stand outside the Labour Party and take no part in Labour policy,” said Mr Curtin. The Reid Federal electorate includes the Auburn State electorate, for which Mr Lang is the sitting member in the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly. Mr Lang, a former State Premier, was recently expelled from the Labour Party. He is expected to contest the Reid Federal seat as an Independent or non-Communist Labour candidate. COMMUNIST INFLUENCE

The influence both of Mr Lang and Communist Labour has been seen by some political commentators here as an important factor likely to eliminate “moderate” support from Mr Curtin at the polls. The New South Wales State Labour Party has strong factions of Lang and Communist supporters while the Commonwealth Industrial Labour movement has fallen increasingly under the influence of the Communists. At the last meeting of the Australian Council of Trades Unions the Communist element forced the conference’s agreement to a united front pact. “This may be as fatal to Labour as the Russian-German Pact has

been to Hitler,” comments The Sydney Morning Herald political observer. “Today a number of important Australian unions, such as the miners, ironworkers, waterside workers, road transport workers and seamen are dominated by

Communists, whose policy of opposition to democracy remains as violent as before. These gentry are now anxious to keep the wheels of Australian industry moving—though may be not to build up reserve stocks, for example, of coal. Despite the great industrial output we have achieved in this war no Australian will be able io forget the many stains and blotches upon our industrial record in the year of Australia’s greatest peril. Industrial peace is one of the three vital matters on which Labour has failed this country. The other two are a single army and finance.”