GANG SURPRISED BY SYDNEY DETECTIVES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18785, 14 June 1929, Page 9

GANG SURPRISED BY SYDNEY DETECTIVES.

ATTACK ON TIMBER WORKER FRUSTRATED. (United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) (Received June 14, 11.30 a.m.) SYDNEY, June 14. A gang of four men ambushed a timber worker at Alexandra last night. They closed on their victim, but simultaneously detectives were on the spot and exciting incidents followed. Detective Caiman was assaulted. Four shots were fired, and one man was handcuffed. He was arrested and charged with assault. The others escaped in the darkness.—Australian Press Association. COMMUNIST “WHITE ANTS.’* A story showing the close association of the Communists with the timber workers’ strike is contained in a statement made by a former Communist, Mr F. A. Armstrong, who is a delegate from the Clerks’ Union to the New South Wales Trades and Labour Council. Mr Armstrong said that he had had personal relations with the persons controlling the strike committee and the strike campaign for the Australian Labour Party. His disclosures indicate the existence of a secret membership in the Communist Party which enabled members to white ant from the inside the political and industrial wings of the Labour movement. Labour leaders who, according to Mr Armstrong, were members of the Communist Party when he belonged to the organisation include:— Mr J. S. Garden, secretary 'of Labour Council, member of the strike committee. Mr E. Voigt, assistant secretary of Labour Council, publicity ofifirrr of the strike committee. Mr J. Kavanagh, chairman of the strike committee and organiser of Labour Council. Mr Denford, then general secretary of Communist Party, now member of strike committee. Mr A. J. Macpherson, now organising secretary of A.L.P. and superintendent of A.L.P. strike committee.

“ I joined the Communist Party in 1922, and was an active member until 1924,” said Mr Armstrong. “I rejoined in September, 1927, and resigned from the organisation in November of the same year. The secret membership iden was put into force after the 1924 A.L.P. conference, when Communists were debarred from membership. The front door to the A.L.P. was closed, so we had to g£.t in by the back door. The central executive of the Communist Party carried a resolution allowing myself with Messrs Li Leece and T. Paine, to join A.L.P. leagues and still remain .secretly members of the Communist Party'. To-day Leece is an organiser in the clothing trades, and T. Paine, directs the speakers’ classes of the A.L.P. Our orders were to spread Communist propaganda to the leagues and report A.L.P. activities to the C.E. (Communist executive). Others concerned in the Communist drive were: Mr J. Graves, president of A.L.P. Mr J. Kilburn, secretary of Bricklayers’ Union. Mr M. P. Ry r an, of the strike committee, and Senator A. Rae. “Mr Kavanagh was known to us in the Communist Party as Mr Nelson. He came from Canada, but he possessed Russian cre4entials, so his rights to membership were O.K. Membership in the Communist Party cost 6s per quarter, and there was an international levy' of 2s. The international levy wen t to the expenses of the central executive of the Communist Party in Russia. Mr Garden was a leading light in the Communist Party. To-day he is secyetly car rying out the instructions of the Communist International. Mr Macpherson owes his position in the A.L.P. to Mr Garden. He put him where he is. I joined the Marrickville A.L.P. League. My orders were to advance the interests of the Communist movement, more especially towards gaining recognition for the Communist Party in the A.L.P. I was expelled from the Marrickville branch in 1925. They asked me whether I was a member of the Communist Partv or the A.L.P. I said I was a member of both. When I resigned from the Communist Party on the second occasion I rejoined the Majrick ville branch. Mr Kavanagh has openly boasted that he has successfully conducted strikes larger than any we have experienced in America. He is responsible for the new strike methods. “Mr Garden, Mr Macpherson, Mr Denford, and Mr Kavanagh are as popular and as trusted by members of the Communist Party to-day as they were when they were struggling for recognition in the Labour Partv. “We used to send monthly reports to Russia on local Communist activities," said Mr Armstrong. “ The central executive always attended to that. They sent reports of activities in the unions, and particularly in the A.L.P. Mr A. C. Willis was one of the strongest supporters of the contention that Communists should be eligible to join the A.L.P. We kept no records or minutes of Communist party meetings or discussions. The members of the Communist party were kept in the dark — the C.E. kept things to themselves. We were told nothing. I know money came from the foreign sources by trusted couriers, but details were withheld from us.

“It was necessary to be nominated by a member to join the Communist party,” said Mr Armstrong. “All members were pledged ta secrecy-. There was a probationary period of lhr«?e months. In that period you had to answer a -questionnaire on workingclass subjects. If you failed, out you went. If you passed, you were a member. Only officials of the Communist party know anything about the party’s real operations. It was when I was financial secretary of the Sydney group that I learnt most about the party. Rule 14, clause B, of the Communist party’s constitution, reads: 'lt is the imperative duty of members acting through other organisations to keep in constant touch with the central execu- “ This allowed the secret membership. It enabled us to join any body, political or industrial, and still retain our standing in the Communist party. There is no alteration in the rule today." A week later Mr Armstrong was ex- 1 pelled from the Labour Council because of the disclosures he had made. Mr King, in moving the expulsion motion, contended that Mr Armstrong was not a fit and proper person, because of his action in “ betraying" his leaders in the middle of a fight.