COMMUNIST. STRIKE LEADER ABSCONDS

Grey River Argus, 29 March 1948, Page 5

COMMUNIST. STRIKE LEADER ABSCONDS

Queensland Industrial Court Summons Ignored

Ballot Papers Alleged To Have Been Destroyed (Rec. 9.50) SYDNEY, March 26 The Commonwealth police have been conducting a search throughout the country for a leading member oi the Communist Party, Eaward Joseph Rowe, who has been convicted m contempt of court in Brisbane. Rowe had been one of the men behind the Queensland rail and port strike, He was on Thursday sentenced to imprisonment for contempt of court by tampering with ballot papers. According to the secretary of the Communist Party, Mr A. Dixon, Rowe will give himseir up to "me ponc~ when he is ready to do so. Rowe received a summons to appear at court following charges that papers in a ballot as to striking, which the Industrial Court had orc ed to oe held, had been destroyed. Rowe left north Brisbane in a motor-cai alter receiving the summons. On Thursday, the Court, in his absence, lined him £6O, with £3l costs, and ordered him to be imprisoned until the tine was paid, “ana until further orders.” Rowe is a member of the Federal Council of the Amalgamated Engineering Union and of tne central committee of the Communist Party. He arrived in Brisbane soon after tne strike began early in February to act as general adviser to the disputes committee, and in the last' six weeks has addressed many meetings of strikers.

After the allegations about the destruction of Industrial Court ballot papers, he was served with the summons. Since then, the police have made a search of Queensland roads, airports and railway stations, and have extended their inquiries to New South Wales and Victoria. It is thought that Rowe, who has not been seen since last Wednesday evening, is Heading for his home State, Victoria.

If he is found in the southern State, proceedings will be taken under the Commonwealth Act for extradition to Queensland to serve his sentence.

ALLEGED ORDERS TO DESTROY PAPERS

The allegations against Rowe, made by a number of unionists in the Industrial Court, were that he ordered the destruction of 25 ballot papers during a meeting in the Trades Hall. The papers had been issued by the industrial Court to members of the Amalgamated Engineering Union employed in the Snell Company’s oil depot at Bowen Hills, to determine whether the men should return to work.

The president of the court (Mr Justice Matthews) ordered the hearing to proceed in Rowe’s absence. The Industrial Registrar (Mr P. J. Wallace) said he posted ballot papers to 48 men, but received only 23 back. Of these, 20 favoured a return to work.

J. H. Bagster. a fitter, said on a sub-poena that he attended a meeting of Shell Company employees on March 22, at which Rowe was chairman. Saving that the ballot was without union authority, and that the only kind which would count would be a ballot of the entire division, Rowe opened a packet on his table and took out ballot papers. Rowe said: “I will destroy them. If I burn them here, I might burn down the Trades Hal 1 - ’' Later, he said he would deal with the papers at a mass meeting. At a later mass meeting, witness heard Rowe say: “I have some ballot papers here, and I propose to deal with them in the working man’s manner.” He then called on “Comrade Grayson” to dispose of them. Grayson stepped forward and tdre the papers in halves.

After hearing other evidence, Mr Justice Matthews said that Rowe had been guilty of a very gross contempt of court. He ordered that Rowe should be committed to the Brisbane goal “until he shall have purged his contempt or until further notice.” COMMUNIST PARTY ATTITUDE According to Mr R. Dixon, the secretary of the Communist Party, the Party was in complete agreement with the action taken by Rowe. BRISBANE, March 29. The police say they are satisfied that Edward Joseph Rowe, a leading Communist sought for contempt of court by tampering with ballot papers, has escaped from Queensland to the southern States, and is preparing to 1 fight extradition charges that would be necessary to return him to Queensland. Many unionists regard Rowe’s flight from justice as a slur on the strikers. They say that while strikers have stood up to their responsibilities, from which Rowe allowed no escape, Rowe himself, as soon as he became a strike victim, “went into the smoke”.

Rowe is a member of the Federal Council of the Amalgamated Engineering Union, and of the central committee of the Communist Party. He arrived in Brisbane soon after the strike began early in February to act as general advisor to the disputes committee, and in the last, six weeks has addressed many meetings of strikers.

The allegations against Rowe made bv a number of unionists in the Industrial Court.. were that he ordered the destruction of twentyfive ballot papers during a meeting in the Trades Hall. The papers had been issued by the Industrial Court to members of the Amalgamated Engineering Union employed in the Shell Company’s oil depot at Bowen Hills, to determine whether the mon should return to work. The president of the Court (Mr Justice Matthews) ordered the hearing to proceed in Rowe’s absence, and found that Rowe had been guilty of very gross contempt of Court. He ordered that Rowe should be committed to the Brisbane gaol “until he shall have purged his contempt or until further notice”.

Queensland Employers To Seek Free Labour BRISBANE, March 27. The employers will attempt to use free labour oh the wharves in Queensland ports to break the waterside workers’ strike. , The joint committee of waterside employers decided to ask the Commonwealth Stevedoring Industry Commission in Sydney to allow them to use free labour. The employers believe that it the commission grants the request there will be more applicants than jobs. They plan to begin on Wednesday loading and unloading all ships tied up in Queensland ports. The Queensland watersiders have been illegally on strike in sympathy with the railwaymen for 25 days. Shipments of primary products worth about £10.000,000 are held up in Queensland. N.Z. WATERSIDERS ATTITUDE WELLINGTON, March 28. Allegations that the Minister of Works (Mr R. Semple) had. misrepresented the position in his cable message to the Premier ol Queensland (Mr E. M. Hanlon), and tha- he had replied to Australian Communists and not to the Australian wat-

erside Workers’ Union, were made bv the secretary of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union (Mr T. Hill), speaking on behalf of the president of the union (Mr H. Barnes) and himself. Because of tins, the reply from Mr Hanlon was negligible value, said Mr Hil l . The Minister of Works and Mr Hanlon nad apparently replied to the Australian Waterside Workers’ Union a more reasoned answer might be obtained. The New Zealand Waterside Wovkers’ Union had no connection with Communist Party, but it had good trade relations with the Australian union.