MELBOURNE’S PLIGHT

Wanganui Chronicle, 15 January 1948, Page 5

MELBOURNE’S PLIGHT

TRANSPORT BREAKDOWN SEEMS LIKELY TRAM STRIKE IS IJKELY TO SPREAD Recd. 12.37 a.m. Melbourne. Jan. 14. A gloomy view is being taken tonight in Government circles of the industrial outlook arising from the tram strike. It is now expected that rail services will cease at midnight on Thursday, resulting in total disorganisation of industry generally. One high authority said it would be at least a month before normal transport services were restored. Neither side is showing any tendency toward compromise. The only hope of averting a serious upheaval lies in intervention by the Federal Labour Government with a firm demand on unions that the Federal industrial arbitration law be observed, but so far there are no signs of any such Federal action. It was learned tonight that an emergency Bill to be presented to Parliament tomorrow will provide that in future it will be illegal for employees of any Government essential service to strike without a secret ballot first being held. There are still no signs of settlement of the tram strike which has deprived Melbourne of trams for 11 days. The State Parliament meets in a special sitting tomorrow to consider the Government’s Emergency Powers Bill. This will give the Government power to acquire the Tramway Board’s 400 buses as well as private buses and cars. Under the Till the Government will be able to request car owners to carry passengers with a right to charge each passenger. Drivers and passengers will be indemnified against damage or loss. The Government claims sufficient drivers will be available to run all the acquired buses and that police protection will be given the proposed service. In addition to Tramways Board buses about 700 private buses at present serving outer suburban routes will be directed to continue their journeys to the city on specified routes. Garages necessary to maintain the buses used in the emergency service can also be acquired under the Bill. The Government emphasised today that the mere passing of the Bill by Parliament would not mean an immediate introduction of the emergency services, but only that the Government had power to do so. It is unlikely that this will be done unless the railways stop work. The Government insisted that it would not be Intimidated by threats of other unions. The Premier (Mr. Holloway) said today that there was nothing farther from the truth than the suggestion made by Communist union leaders that the legislation was an attack on the union movement. All the Government was doing was to uphold the arbit-ation law. | Mr. Chifley’s statement that the present dispute was the first test of the Holloway Administration showed clearly that the strike was political in origin and that the Labour Party | had no intention of trying to sup-, port its own legislation. Mr. Chif- 1 ley had shown that he was more concerned about Labour’s prospects at the next election than about up-. holding law and order or the rights of the people of Victoria, said Mr. Holloway. Many important unions have decided to give full support to the tramwaymen if emergency transport is introduced. These unions instructed their members not to use such transport to get to work. No announcement was made today by Railways Union officials regarding their policy, but it is expected trains will continue running at least until Friday or until the Emergency Bill is passed by Parliament. This may not be until early next week, as the Government intends to allow a full debate and give the tramwaymen amp’e opportunity i to consider their position.