Police Bill Rushed Through Lower House

Shannon News, 1 September 1925, Page 4

Police Bill Rushed Through Lower House

IN FACE OF BITTER OPPOSITION. RESENTMENT OF UNIONISTS AROUSED. (Received Sunday, 7 p.m.) MELBOURNE, August 29. In the House of Representatives, after an all-night"sitting and a bitter debate, Mr. Bruce forced through the Police Bill, which was read a third time by 30 votes to 19. The. Senate carried the Bill through its second reading after angry scenes, the "gag" being employed on a motion that the Bill be treated as an urgent measure, Labour Senators protesting against the gradual and increasing encroachment upon the rights of the Senate. ~ Senator Pearce, in speaking to the.

motion, declared the industrial disturbance was a revolutionary move against the Empire and if the proposed counter-measures were insufficient the Government would ask the people to sanction ample power,. Regulations governing the proceedings oi the Deportations Board give th e Board wide powers to compel persons to appear and .give evidence and tu Inflict penalties on persons refusing to comply with the Board's directions. ; T,he Deportation Board met and dis. dtssed the question of procedure to be adopted. It was subsequently stated that the sitting was purely informal.

Mr. Moate, genei-al secretary of the Marine Stewards' Union, who had previously pointed out that the Seamen's strike was unofficial., states that the •.Jouimonwealth Government has now iioss.uiy prevented a settlement of the dispute and by its action in seeking to appoint a Commonwealth police l'orce, lias aroused the resentment of i.•uioiuoc.j throughout th© country. BILL S 'HOXEWAWED IN SENATE REASONS FOR BILL. (Received Monday 12.25 p.m) MELBOURNE, uAugust 30. The Senate, for the first time since 190 j, sat all day, adjourning at midniynt till Monday morning. The Labour stonewall of the Police Bill is disarranging the plans of Mr Bruce, who hoped to force the Bill through the Senate. Members of tho House of Representatives mostly slept in the precincts of the House, awaiting a message from the Senate notifying that the Bill was passed. When it became apparent that Labour was stonewalling the measure, the House of Representatives adjourned until Monday. The Senate, when Senator Pearce. moved the suspension of standing orders to enable the Bill to be passed* was pandemonium, and the "gag' was frequently applied. Senator Pearce said, "There is a movement in this country for revolutionary purposes No secret is made of it, and members will be false to their trust if they shut their eyes to it. If the present measure is not effective, the Government will ask the people to give it power to take other steps to prevent the destruction of the Commonwealth law."

In referring to the refusal of Mr Lang to allow his police to assist in carrying out the Federal Law, Senator Pearce said very little consideration would show such action was liable to spell absolute chaos and anarchy, and sound the end of the Commonwealth Government in Australia. Senator Guthrie attributed the strike to insidious engineering of Communist influences. Mr Tom Walsh, he continued, was doing his best to break up the British Seamen's Union. He was interfering in a dispute into which he had no right to enter. t Senator Hannan declared if his advice was sought, he would advise the British seamen in Australian waters to accept the majority decision of the Union in England. A feature of the debate was the declaration by Senator Ogden (Labour) that he would support the Bill, stating that he believed the workers were being led astray. ABSOLUTELY NON-EFFECTIVE IN HOME PORTS. (Received Sunday, 7 p.m.) LONDON, August 29. Strikers who are particularly strong at Southampton, threatened to hold up the Aquitania and Orea, but both left punctually for America, with complete crews., Similar experiences*are reported to-day in all provincial ports. Press messages from Capetown allege that the captain of the Arundel Castle guaranteed the men their presnt wages until they reach England. Th directors of the company immediately cabled, repudiating the guarantee if made, and instructing the captain not to make any concessions, but rigidly to uphold the agreement with the Seamen's Union until it was mutually amended. The Board of Trade announces thad 53 ships cleared from Liverpool in the past week.. The "Daily Herald's" Labour correspondents consistently report the nonsucoess of the strike throughout Britain, of which the following, in today's issue, are a fair average:—■ "Cardiff: No pickets,, no instances of men refusing to sail; much employment." "Southampton: Windsor Castl e sailed at appointed time." '*South Shields: Strike ineffective; surplus of men in readiness to proceed to other ports; thirty proceeded to Liverpool; pickets active." "Hull: No ships held up." "Liverpool: All vessels due to sail left at appointed times, with full crews." CREWS STEP ASHORE AT CAPETOWN. HERTZOG STANDS ALOOF. (Received Sunday, 7 p.m.) CAPETOWN, August 28. Everything appeared normal at the docks to-day aboard the Arundel Castle and the Ballarat, at the next jetty. Passengers wer e aboard and all things seemed to wear a sailing day aspect, till towards the sailing time, the seamen, in ashore clotlles, left the ships quietly and melted away in the crowds. Then a crowd of stewards from the Ballarat came alongside the Arundel and pulled out a bunch of younger stewards. Everything was done in a most orderly manner, the only excitement being the loud cheers of the Ballarat men when moiv Arundel stewards came down the gangway. It is understood General Hertzog has replied to Mr. Havelock Wilson, who urged' the upholding the National Maritime Board's agreement. The reply states that the action taken by the men in refusing duty appears to have been entirely of their own volition and they had not been persuaded by anyone in South Africa, It is also understood General Hertzog informed the British Seamen's Union that every possible protection- and support will be given any men desiring to carry out their contracts, as required.