POWER STRIKE NEARS CLIMAX

Chronicle (Levin), 1 May 1947, Page 5

POWER STRIKE NEARS CLIMAX

: Press Assn.

VIGILANCE FORCE RECRUITED TO MAINTAIN ORDER IF CHAOS DEVELOPS IN VICTORIA

By Telegraph

-Copyrigki

Received Thursday, 11.10 a.m. MELBOURNE, May 1. . The strike in Victoria is moving swiftly to a climax and nothing has occurred to relieve fears that it will spread to New South Wales. Officials of the Amalgamated Engqneering Union are dofying instructions by the full executive of the Australasian Council of Trade Unions that its members should return to work by May 7. This means that unless the rank and file ropndiate the officials, Victoria will face a power dim-out noxt week. ( . No suburban traihs have run for eighteen days and the , country rail services are gradually siowing to a complete standstill. Tn the Legislative Assembly the Premier, Mr._ Cain, rejocled a demand by a Liberal member that servicemen in specialised sections, particularly the Navy, should be called out to run the power houses. He promised that there would l,o no blackout and said that the Government was handling Ihe situation in the only possible way. United women's organisations and _ex-service bodies are i)lanning systems of volunteer labour in order to maintain ossential services and combat the pickets, who are refusing to let transport through. Return ed soldiers of both world wars plan to recruit a vR-ilance force of 10,000 men to help the police to maintain order if chaos develops from the strike: ' Women's organisalions will provide a similar number of women. Tn Canberra the Deputy Leader of the Country Party, Mr. McEwen, asked that the Federal Government should lmrnediately order all available Army and Air Force vehicles to Victoria to aid in the transport of food and necessary materials.