QUEENSLAND WATERSIDERS WORKING TO-DAY

Grey River Argus, 6 April 1948, Page 5

QUEENSLAND WATERSIDERS WORKING TO-DAY

Railwaymen May Also Return (Rec. 10 0. BRISBANE, April 5. At a mass meetinq today,, striking Queensland watersiders decided to return to work to-mor-row morning. Unofficial sources tip that the railwaymen will also bie back to-morrow,, but the date of their return has not yet been fixed toy the Disputes Committee. The watersiders also carried a resolution condemning the action of the State Industrial Court in imprisoning the Federal Councillor of tne Amalgamated Engineering Union, Mr E. J. Rowe, and demanding ms immediate release. The Disputes’ Committee has appealed to the Unions to demand his release, but tne indications are that only the Com-munist-controlled Unions will respond. Rowe ate prison food on his first day in gaol, but since then he has received many gifts from sympathisers.

RAIL STRIKE ALSO ENDS

(Rec. 11.0). BRISBANE. April 5. Queensland’ s nine-week’s-old railway strike will end at midnight to-night. This has been announced by the Central Disputes Committee following on the' decision of the Watersiders to resume work to-morrow. Mr E. J. Rowe, Communist strike leader, who on March 25 was fined £6O, and was ordered to be kept in gaol until further orders after he had been found guilty of gross contempt in interferring with the ballot conducted by the Queensland Industrial Court, to-day paid the fine. It is now open for Rowe to. apologise to the Court ,and to submit that he had purged his contempt. Rowe disappeared after his sentence was announced but he was arrested and gaoled on Thursday.

A.LP. Industrial Groups Ask Inquiry Into Communist Activities

SYDNEY. April 5. A full inquiry by the Federal and State Governments into the activities of the Australian Communist Party was urged by the annual conference of industrial groups of the Australian Labour Party. Tire conference comprised representatives of 110 organised groups and 300 branches of industrial groups formed by the Labour Party in 1945 to combat Communist activities in the trade union movement. Speakers declared that the Communists sought the overthrow, by arms if necessary, of democratic government in Australia. The president of the conference, Mr T. Junor, said that if Labour was to remain in office, the Communists must be crushed. “I am not condemning the strike weapon, which is the traditional right of workers,” said Mr Junor, “but there is a difference between strikes organised by our constitutional authorities and strikes plan ned, controlled and executed by Marx House. These arrogant Communistic people must be put in their places.” Group members were instructed to be unceasing on the job in their efforts to combat Communism, to attend union meetings and job meet inps and defeat, all moves for Com munist control of unions and jobs and to do all in their power within the constitutiion of their respective unions to unseat any Communist who might be in office oi - seeking office.