LABOUR WORLD

Grey River Argus, 21 February 1927, Page 5

LABOUR WORLD

BRITISH TORY BILL To Bar Foreign Money. FROM BRITISH STRIKERS. (Reed. Feb. 20 at 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, Feb. 18. In the House of Commons, the whole day (Friday) was spent in discussing private members’ bills. Introduced by Mr R. Mitchell-Banks K.C. (Conservative) and seconded by Mr Basil Peto (Conservative) there was one bill designed to prevent any person or association from inviting, ae cepting, or using any funds from for-, eign sources for the furtherance or maintenance of industrial disputes. Mr Mitchell Banks anticipated the Government would show aloofness to the bill. He said that it was ail very well for the Home Secretary (Sir W. Joynson Hicks) to say that he could not stop this money coming in, but, he did so during the general strike, and sent it back, to Moscow. Undoubtedly foreign money had prolonged the disastrous coal strike.

A Labour member, Mr W. T. Kelly (Rochdale) rose and moved the rejection of the bill. Saying that he had always been opposed to strikes. Mr Kelly declared that he would welcome anv bill which was really a blister on Communism, but this bill would not hurt Communism even a little bit.

Sir W. Joynson Hicks, said tfiit the Ministry was of the opinion that this bill should be left to the decision of the House. Personally he thought the bill would not achieve the object of its promoters.

The second reading was defeated by 183 to 75. '

PLENTY OF “SCABS.”

Indian Army Strike. (Sun Cable.). DELHI, Feb. 18. The strike on the Bengal-Nagpur railway is gradually dying out. Only tiic Calcutta-Kharagpur section is affected. Recruits are thronging to the labour office.

KAITUNA’S CONDITION.

CREW CHARGED. WITH REFUSAL TO SAIL. AUCKLAND, February 19. Twenty members of the erew of the Kaituna, which is at present held up in port, were charged at the Police Court with failing without reasonable cause to proceed to sea in the steamer. Counsel for the men asked, for an adjournment, as he desired to bring witnesses to substantiate the, crew’s .reasons for /heir refusal. Counsel for the Union Company opposed an adjournment beyond Monday. He said the Kaituna had. a certificate of seaworthiness, and; had. just come out of dry dock. Tim men had

some idea about bent plates, but there were bent plates in every boat’s hold, and the boat was in good condition. The ease was adjourned till 2 p.m. on Monday.