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MR. JOHN BROWN.
Withdrawal of
Summons
MR. BRUCE EXPLAINS
MELBOURNE, Thursday.
Mr. Bruce said to-day that a serious
misunderstanding had arisen in the
press regarding what he had said at
the coal conference in Sydney, respecting
the withdrawal of the prosecution
against Mr. John Brown,
In opening the conference, he re-
filled at once to this question of
prosecution of one of the coal owners,
and said that all parties desired the
conference, that it was of vital importance,
that the conference should
deal fully with the true facts which
are relevant to the problem of opening
the mines immediately, and that
necessary discussion was possible. If
the prosecution was proceeded with,
the miners were fully represented by
officers of their unions. No dissent from
the view he had stated had been expressed,
and Government had accordingly
withdrawn the prosecution.
It was significant that in the con-
for once not the slightest criticism of
v his action had come from the miners'
Organisation in New South Wales.
Members, he added, knew" that the
" Government recognised the whole
question of provision and enforcement
, of industrial penalties required consideration
before the amending bill was
introduced in 1928. BpileDvours were
made by the Government to ascertain
from both sides in the industry whether
they desired a continuance of the
penalties for strikes and lock-outs. At
that time neither employers nor em-
ployes were prepared to say that they
desired the? abolition of these penalties,
though they were given the fullest opportunity
to do so.
This year, however, the industrial
peace conference had considered the
matter and he understood that the
committee was examining this particular
ernest ion. He proposed to ask
this commit lee to meet him and the
Attorney-General for the purpose of
discussing the whole subject. The
aimed Government was to obtain peace
in industry upon fair and just terms,
so that the interest of the' employers,
employees, and of the community as a
whole would be prb-Horved-to.'thc utmost
possible extent..
It the (level ment found that the
export deuce of', those in industry was
that the existence of these penalties
was productive, of irritation and; fric-
tion without really contributing to
continuity in industry, Government
would be prepared to consider the
adoption of other methods of seeking
to achieve this object.
He hoped that the conference which
was proposed would he held at an early
date. ,
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