NATIONAL TRAGEDY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 231, 29 September 1928, Page 9

NATIONAL TRAGEDY.

Bruce Determined To Keep

Wharves Working.

LABOURITES DEFY LAW.

(Received 11.30 a.m.i

SYDNEY, this day.

The Prime Minister, Mr. Bruce, referring to the waterside strike, said the holding up of the wool sales through the strike was a national tragedy. The Federal Government was determined to take every action to ensure the continuance of the maritime services, and would use every power to prosecute people who interfered.

Mr. Bruce was referring to a motion carried by the Sydney Labour Council that it would support the South Australian strikers and would urge drastic action in connection with the new Transport Workers Act.

Mr. Bruce continued that the action of tho Labour Council was a direct incentive to defy a law passed by the representatives of the people in the Parliament of the Commonwealth. Action of this kind should bring, realisation to the whole people of Australia of how necessary it was that the Government should have taken every step to ensure that the law of the land was obeyed, and the authority of Parliament maintained.

The waferfront at Sydney is quiet, and several vessels that were loaded by volunteer labour at other ports are being unloaded by unionists.

A message from Fremantle states that by a big majority the waterside workers there decided to offer for employment under the Beeby award.

A messiigo from Brisbane eays the waterside workers at a conference decided to call a strike of all the wateraide workers throughout Queensland.

The Council of Trade Unions at a meeting in Melbourne decided to issue instructions to wharf laboQrers in all the States not to register under the new Transport Act. This apparently is the first move in the struggle, and is likely to embroil the whole Commonwealth in a strike of a magnitude never before experienced.