COMBATING COMMUNISM

Taranaki Daily News, 22 September 1931, Page 14

COMBATING COMMUNISM

FASCISM IN NEW SOUTH WALES. “NEW GUARD” IN THE OPEN. In many respects the political situation in New South Wales to-day follows that through which old European countries have been passing for a number of years, with Communism on one side and some form of Fascism on the other. Between the two, of course, is a huge body of public thought not very interested beyond that it asks only for sane government.The Labour -Government in power in New South Wales has a policy of revolutionary socialisation, and to that end has made appointments and created authorities giving it control over milk ; and meat, and a- final word in the conduct of industry, and it is reaching out for. conrtol of electricity and bread. Ranged against it are the saner elements of the community; but the purely Fascist body, which aims to fight Communism on any ground, is the New Guard, an organisation now over 109,000 strong, and conducted along military lines. Its mobilisation xis in the hands of a central committee composed mainly of city business' men, who are all exmilitary officers, and until this week its strength had not been admitted. Tho central organiser of the New Guard, Mr. (ex-Colonel) Eric Campbell, at a rally of the Bondi Locality (as the branch is called), said that the New Guard was ready, in the event of a civil breakdown, to mobilise and act. It was realised, he emphasised, that with the growth of Communism, and the passing of so many Socialistic enactments, coupled with the shrinkage of exports and income, that th’e threatened breakdown of the civil structure might come at any moment. If the police and the military were unable to cope with the situation, as was anticipated, the New Guard would mobilise and do all that was necessary to restore and maintain law and order. In the metropolitan area a strong New Guard force had been organised on military lines and numbered many thousands. This was a force which would back any loyal Government in carrying out its task.

Mr. Campbell said tha t the New Guard favoured a commission form of government if the other system failed. He suggested that, if necessary, a commission of ten men could run New South Wales, these ten to be nominated by a Parliament of volunteers, who would not draw salaries, and who, immediately after they had elected the commission, would go into recess. In the meantime there are 110,000 unemployed drawing dole rations in New South Wales, and the whole of the. Is in the £1 unemployment tax is being absorbed keeping this army In inactivity. The Government, driven by its Socialisativo. riders, has consistently refused to allow unemployed to work for their dole until the situation becomes easier. The Queensland Government has. insisted on this measure, and has had immense works on roads carried through. The Queensland system has succeeded in keepin" up the moral of the unemployed, while the New South Wales system merely creates a state of mind vhcre Communism is the easiest thing to embrace. The attitude of the Socialisation Committee of the A.L.P., which dominates the New South Wales Government, is that if sufficient men find themselves on the dole they will agree to the immediate overthrow of the present system of government and frankly espouse Communism. Sir Graham Waddell, chairman of the Australian Woolgrowers’ Council sounded the tocsin this week when he pointed out that the ruinous prices of wool at the present sales—the average price for the first week was about 6Jd a pound must send the Commonwealth, to bankruptcy. This price he attributed to the foolish fetish that tho standard of living must bo maintained. “The truth is that the standard of living has already gone so far as the thousands who are on the dole are concerned,” ho said, “and there is no sense in hanging on to it.” There are no lack of instances where the state of mind has been created among certain unemployed that with the dole and family endowment there is no need to work. This type of individual, of course, embraces Communism witn open arms, though if Communism came he would have to work to li v ®> Frankly the situation in New South Wales has reached a stage where, a clash between Communism and Fascism appears imminent. Time alone can tell the result.