LABOUR SCANDAL.

Shannon News, 18 September 1923, Page 3

LABOUR SCANDAL.

x FAKED BALLOT BOXES. SYDNEY, August 15. A political bombshell crashed in the midst of the Labour movement at the week-end with the announcement ol the recommendations to the executive of the Labour Party 'in this State, which have been adopted, from the special committee which has been inquiring into the recent revelations regarding the use of l'aked ballot boxes in certain selections at the headquarters of the party. It was found that a number of boxes having secret panels, enabling manipulation of the votes, had be.en used. The affair caused an immense sensation on the eve of the annual conference of the party recently, and a special committee with the new president, Mr A. C. Willis, as chairman, was appointed to ascertain the facts and make recommendations. Its decisions have embraced some of the best-known men in the movement, and their summary expulsion, four without limitation of trine and two for two years, has shaken the. party, already riven with internal dissensions due to the undermining of the Communists, to its foundations. In its report the committee does not at this stage give even a resume of the evidence, so that the nature of the alleged responsibility of the persons riamed in its report is not made clear. Its only comment is in regard toi Mr P. J. Minahan—who has long been one of the pillars of the party, and who has been expelled for two years. He is one of three mem-' hers of Parliament 'affected. In Iris case it was stated that the committee was unanimously of opinion that he was aware that fraudulent ballot boxes were in existence, he having been informed a,t the time that the Sydney selection ballot was held. ’-The committee, it further states, invited him on two occasions to appear and give evidence to it, but. he failed to appear and notified the committee by letter that he 'had no knowledge of crook ballot boxes being in existence until it was so stated in the press. In view of Mr Minaban’s refusal to appear and believing from the~evidence that he knew of the existence of fraudulent ballot boxes .without taking any steps to expose the'matter, it was of the opinion that he should be expelled for two years.' , The decision of the executive in forthwith expelling Alderman Bramston and Messrs A. W. Buckley, Gavin Sutherland, and John Bailey, M.L.A., without specified term, and® Messrs T. J. Smith, M.L.C., and P. J. Minahan, M.LiA., for two' years without any more investigation or explanation, leaving the next, annual conference nearly a year ahead the only court of appeal, has been hotly .debated through the press, and the men themselves are vigorously demanding an open inquiry with sworn evidence. In the meantiine two members of the committee that convicted them— Messrs .T. Howie and J. S. Gardenare 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 an unemployment demonstration outside Parliament. House. Thuis a week or more must yet elapsie before the executive will be able to consider the demand for an open inquiry and give its decision.