VOICES DROWNED

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 188, 1 April 1932, Page 6

VOICES DROWNED

PARTY BOUND FOR RUSSIA OUTSUNG BY LOYALISTS INCIDENTS ON LINER PERTH, Wednesday. As at Sydney and Melbourne when the Communist delegates to Russia on board the Orsova at Freemantle, commenced to sing "The Red Flag, 600 passengers drowned their voices by singing "God Save the King." | As a counter move to a farewell at Sydney by Reds to their ccmrades who were leaving for Russia by the R.M.S. Orsova to-day, an elderly woman on the upper deck led other passengers in the singing of "God Save the King." On board was a trades union pai'ty proceeding to Russia "to investigatc condit ons there," and down at the wharf to see them off. was a erowd of 150 Communist sympathisers, each wearing a red badge. With the hoisting of a red banner on board by a member of the delegation, inscribed "Greetings to the workers of the Soviet from the Australian workers" the Red element burst into song.

This was too much for the loyalists, and' an elderly woman mtervened and led a stirring chorus of National songs from anti-Red passengers. She had a torn f ragment from the farewe 11 streamer ribbons to make the colours red, white and blue, and with this emblem in her hahd she exhorted the crowd to further efforts. The "Reds" were nonplussed for the moment, but Joseph Schelly, mounted on a bollard and perspiring freely, beat the air to keep the choir singing lustily. The stravns of "Rule Britannia," "Land of Hope and Glory," became hopelessly mixed with that of the "Red Flag" and other revolutionary songs. The party will be away nine months.