LABOR SCANDAL.

Otaki Mail, 19 September 1923, Page 4

LABOR SCANDAL.

) » TAXED BALLOT BOXES. j SYDNEY, August 15. j A puliliciil bombshell cuiMicd m the 11j11>i st ui the Labour movement at the week-end with Hie announcement ui I me recunimenuuliuns to Uic executive ui liie Labour I’ai'ij la tins .-311110, 1 willcii ihaye ween nuupted, Hum me ' special cuiiiinui.ee Witten Has been m- ■ quiring into ihe leceai ruvciuuuns regaidhig tile Use oi lulled ballot boxes ui eeiiain selecliuus at the headquarters ui' the pai l)'. H was iuuutl mat a number ol boxes having secret pan- ! els, enabling uiampulauun ot tut* vole.'. Ibul been useu. The ui'fujr caused Liu immense sensation on the eve , 01 the annual comei'enoe ul the party recently, and a special eoniniiltee ' with uic new president, Mr A. C. * Willis, as eiitiimnin, was appumteU in aseeriahi the iucls and make recommendations. Its decisions have embraced some ui ilie best-known men 111 the movement, and their summary expulsion, lour without limitation oi time ami two lor two years, has : shaken the putty, already riven with internal, dissensions due to the undermining oi tiie Communists, tu Us inundations. Ju its report the committee does not at this stage give even a. resume oi the evidence, so that tiie nature oi the alleged responsihil- ! ily ul llie persons named in its report is not made clear. Us only comment is in regard to Mr IJ.1 J . J. Mina lion —who ’has mug been one oi tire pillars of the j party, and who iias been expelled lor two'‘years. He is one ui three nienij hers 'oi Parliament affected. in h>s ease it was stated that the committee was unanimously oi opinion that | lie was aware that fraudulent ballot i boxes were 111 existence, he having | been inionned at the time that the I Sydney selection ballot was held. The j committee, it limiter states, invited him on two occasions to appear and give evidence to it, but lie tailed to appear and nuiiiied the committee by letter that he had no knowledge oi crook ballot boxes being in existence until it was so stated in the press, in view of Mr Minahan's reliisal to apj pear and believing front the evidence ! ihat he knew of the existence of j iraiululent-ballot boxes without taking ; any steps to expose the matter, it was of t lie opinion that be should be expelled for two years. , ; Tiie decision of the executive m forthwith expelling Alderman Branision and Messrs A. W . Buckler, Gavin Sutherland, and John Bailey, M.L.A., without specified term, and Messrs T. smith, M.L.C., and P. J. M’.nnhnn, M.L.A.. for two years without anymore investigation or explanation, leaving the next annual conference ne.arlv a vear ahead the only coint of appeal, has been hotly debated through the press, and tiie men themselves are vigorously demanding an open inquiry with sworn evidence. In the meantime two members of the committee that convicted them— I Messrs J. Howie and J. S. Garden — ate serving terms of 14 days’ imprisonment in Long Bay Gaol, which they elected to undergo rather than pay ■ fines imposed on them for obstructing traffic in Macquarie street by addressing ail unemployment demonstration outside Parliament House. Tints a week or more must yet. elapse before . the executive will be able to consider ! the demand for an open inquiry and give its decision.