Evening star., 1949-07-31
AustruIion Strike Crisis

Settlement 6f the London dockers' strike
focuses interest on another crucial labor
dispute closely parallel in character. This
is the strike in the Australian coal fields,
now a full month old. Called at the
depth OF Australia's antipodean winter, the
damage done to the national economy Is
very great. Industry Is so disrupted that
unemployment approaches the 100000
mark in a country of less than 100000
inhabitants The public services are badly
crippled, while the suffering OF the city
dwellers in unheated homes Is severe.
This genuine national crisis has compelled
a Labor Government reluctantly to take
drastic measures. "state of emergency
has been called in the State of Victoria,
the worst hit, while the Commonwealth
has ordered Federal troops into the coal
fields to start mining operations If the
strikers fail to obey orders to return to
work.
If ever there was an unjustified strike,
it is this one The dispute originated In
a demand of the miners union for higher
wages and shorter hours. This demand
was being considered by labor tribunal
set up in the Commonwealth for the
adjudication of such matters when the
miners illegally walked off the job. When
the union officials began using funds for
strike benefits, the courts enjoined them
from such conduct, and when this injunc-
ton was disregarded they were jailed for
contempt, together with officials of other
unions who had Illegally donated funds
to support the striking miners. This at
once became leading issue, the miners
declaring they would not return until their
leaders were freed and all fines remitted.
Meanwhile, still other unions were rallying
to the strikers, the seaman's union staging
sympathy strikes and the longshoremen
refusing to unload imported coal.
Obviously, this amounted to defiance
of constituted authority by large section
political character of this challenge be-
came increasingly obvious. All the unions
involved were dominated by left wing
leadership with Communist affiliations At
this point the authorities raided head
quarters of the Australian Communist
Party, and on the basis of data seized
there and other evidence, the government
declares the whole business Communist
inspired. Labor Minister Holloway states
unequivocally that "this strike has been
cooked up in Moscow in an attempt by
Russia to impose its tyranny and dictator
ship on the worlds free people without
going as far as war" Incidentally, the
Commonwealth is preparing to bring sedi-
ton and conspiracy charges against the
Australian Communist Party.
1t should be understood that Australia,
like Britain, has a labor administration
dedicated to the welfare and advancement
OF the working classes who, in both in
stances, are the Labor Governments chief
supporters. This enhances the gravity of
strikes like those at the London docks
and the Australian coal fields They in
dicate that considerable section of organ
lied labor follows, either subsequently or
deliberately, the orders Of leaders whose
first loyalty is to Moscow and whose aim
is the disruption of the national life as a
preface to revolutionary action. These
sinister occurrences contain warning not
confined to Britain or Australia. They
suggest pattern of action drawn up by
the Cominform which may appear at the
proper tactical moment in any non
Communist country, including our own,
where ommunist-controlled unions exist.