COAL STRIKE CRACKING

Chronicle (Levin), 23 July 1949, Page 5

COAL STRIKE CRACKING

(N.Z.P.A.-

-Reuter.

Commnnist Leader Told To Go Back To Russia

Covyright)

Received Fridav, .9.0U p.m. SYDNETfc July 22. Reports from miners' meetings eontinue to indicate that tlie miners' solidarity is craeking though so far the rift is more noticeable in the smaller areas. At Gunnedah a. crowd pelted with toniatoes speakers who urged a united fro' t against the Government. The Commuiust cliairman was greeted with hoots aird ironical clieers and eries of " Go back xo Russia!" Mr. -J. Comerford, acting general secretary of the Miners' Federation, niet witii boos and catcalls, and a uiotion proposed by Mr, R. G. Hamilton, a State Labour parliamentarian, eongratulating the Gunnedah miners on their niove to end the strike was carried by an overwhelming majority, Mr. Comerford forecast that the miners would leave the Labour Party and would form an Industrial Labour Party which "would be responsible to the miners and not to the Federal and State Labour eaucuses." At Muswellbrook the opencut miners urged a return to work on Monday, but tlie underground miners succeeded in amending this to a decision to hold a ineeting during the weekend to " discuss the calling of aggregate meetings with the view to ending the strike." In Fydney today the Cockatoo Dock ironworkers by 300 votes to 7 declared full support for the Federal and State Governments in efforts to end the strike and aftirmed strong opposition to the nianner in which £25,000 of the ironworkers' money was witlidrawn • from the banks and hidden. Tlie other side of the pieture comes from West Wallsend where the miners after holding their own meeting at which they voted 235 to 16 in support of the strike sr.rged angrily round Australian Labour Party representatives speaking in the main street and had to be forced back by the police. The miners jeered at a statement that the (Jommunists were beliind the strike and the police had to restrain the crowd when Senator Donald Grant declared: "ft is iinpossible for the miners to beat the State so the Communists are trying to do it by a revolution. ' ' Meanwhile military convoys are quietly moving into the northern coaliields to prepare for the working of open-cuts. The land transport group of unions with a 70,000 membership announced today that it would move coal won from the open-cuts, and added: " We direct the attention of all trade; unionists to this decision and state unequivocablv that attempts by Communists to sabotage tliis plan will be resisted. " The Federal and New South Wales Governments have estimated that they will be able to obtain 120,000 tons of coal weekly by working open-cut mines in New South Wales for three shifts daily seven days weekly. This would enable New South Wales industries the reopen on their pre-strike coal consumption. , * , t , The coal miners in Tasmania decided to-dav to go back to work on Monday. There are from 250 to 300 miners in Tasmania. The acting Premier (Mr Fagan) said the State Coal Reference Board would be called together to consider the Tasmanian miners' claims. The A.O.T.U. has asked the combined mining unions' council for nnother meeting next Wednesday in an effoit to settle tlie strike. Between now and November South Australia hopes to get seven coal eargoes from South Africa totalling 56,000 tons. The coal will be used as a reserve if the strike ends. A.C.T.U. leaders told representatives of the combined mining union's council at a conference to-day that neither the Federal nor State Governments would agree to confer with the council on terms for a settlement of the coal strike unless the miners first went back to work. Steps to recover fines' totalling £5000 imposed on the Miners' Federation, Ironworkers' Association and Waterside Workers' Federation for contempt of court are being considered by the Registrar of the Arbitration Court. The ofifieials who were fmed were given time to pay, bqt no tjme .was allowed the nnions: None of tkd; £54,700 :covered by the court orders' to the three unions to return to the registrar funds witlidrawn from the banks in contravention of the National Emergencv Coal Strike Act has been paid. Writs against the property of the Miners' Federation and Ironworkers' Association tnay be issued during the weekend.