RAIL WORKERS' STRIKE SPREADS IN AUSTRALIA

Wanganui Chronicle, 31 October 1950, Page 5

RAIL WORKERS' STRIKE SPREADS IN AUSTRALIA

SYDNEY, Oct 30—All trains in New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania stopped early today for 24 hours. Victoria has now been without trains for a fortnight and South Australia for a week. Trains are running today in West Australia, where the railwaymen defied the strike order from the Federal Council of the Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen.

A prominent industrial law authority says that the Arbitration Court is powerless in the dispute, and that only drastic alterations to the 1947 revised Arbitration Act could give the Court power to hear the case. According to the Act, decisions on award variations rest entirely with the Conciliation Commissioners.

Sydney meetings of railwaymen in Sydney today rejected proposals to call further stop-work meetings if the Victorian dispute is not settled this week. Guards, engine drivers, firemen and cleaners decided at separate meetings to return to work at midnight tonight, and to refrain from further stoppages in New South Wales pending the outcome of Court proceedings. The State secretary of the Australian Railways Union (Mr. J. Ferguson) a Member of the Legislative Council, advised against further direct action as the Court, would be hearing the New South Wales claims tomorrow.

Ar. appeal for financial aid to the striking Victorian and New South Wales railwaymen has been launched. Traffic congestion in Sydney today was less than that of last Monday, and police kept matters under control. Though free parking space was provided in the Domain for 10,000 vehicles, only about 800 motorists availed themselves of the service. During the morning rush hour, roads were choked with cars, trucks, horsedrawn vehicles, motor-cycles, bicycles and motor scooters, but the time taken in crossing the harbour bridge was only 10 minutes as against 25 minutes last Monday. The strike heavily affected the attendance of watersiders, however, and the busy port was under-staffed by 6000 labourers. Sydney shops and department stores estimate a fall cf £75.000 in turnover because of fewer customers and the stoppage is expected to cost New South Wales commerce ano industry about a quarter of a million pounds.