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"A WILFUL ATTEMPT TO
DISLOCATE INDUSTRY"
After a special meeting of the executive council of
the Employers' Federation yesterday the secretary
(Mr. G. F. Gill) said that the meeting, which was
attended by representatives of all the big private
employers in this State, had unanimously agreed to the
following resolution:
"This federation, representing
every branch of industry within
the State, deplores the action of
the Collie Miners' Union in fol
lowing the dictates of the Com
munist-controlled executive of
the Miners' Federation in New
South Wales by illegally strik
ing. It condemns the action as
a flagrant breach of law and
order which has been deliber
ately taken at a time when the
legal processes of conciliation
and arbitration were being fully
availed of.
"The federation draws to the
notice of the public the fact that
when the call for a strike was
made by the New South Wales
Combined Mining Unions Coun
cil, two of the major matters in
issue had not only been the sub
ject of conferences but had in
one case been heard, and in the
other part-heard by the Coal ln
dustry Tribunal. The Combined
Unions Council's action is there
fore stamped as a repudiation of
arbitration and a wilful attempt
by disruptionists to dislocate in
dustry, create chaos and bring
about untold suffering to the
family lives of many thousands
of law-abiding people.
"The federation stands firm on
the principle of conciliation and
arbitration; denounces this strike
as a Communist plot deliberately
conceived to flout authority and
bring into disrepute our democra
tic system of settling disputes.
and this federation gives to the
Governments of the day its un
equivocal backing in any action
they may take to discipline the
perpetrators and bring about a
resumption of work.
"Having voted against a strike,
it is apparent that the Collie
miners must now choose between
giving their loyalty to the' New
South Wales Communist leaders
or to their fellow-workers and
their families in Western Austra
lia. We cannot believe that the
rank and file members at Collie
will choose to continue support
ing the Communists."
Questions In
Assembly
Several questions without notice
on the power and gas position
were asked by Labour members
when the Legislative Assembly
met yesterday. The Minister for
Electricity (Mr. Doney) told Mr.
Tonkin (Lab., North-East Fre
mantle) that the quantity of coal
needed to carry on essential ser
vices such as sewerage pumping.
hospitals etc., was about 200 tons
a day. It was absolutely neces
sary for the supply of electricity
to cease at 6 a.m. today.
Mr. Doney asked that a ques
tion by Mr. Nulsen (Lab., Ka
nowna) on how much coal was
on hand at the East Perth power
station and at the Perth gasworks.
be placed on the notice paper.
To the Leader of the Opposition
(Mr. Wise) the Premier (Mr. Mc
Larty) replied that arrangements
had been made for two auxili
ary power plants from the Royal
Australian Air Force to be in
stalled at the Government Print
ing Office to enable it to func
tion.
To Mr. Graham (Lab., East
Perth) Mr. McLarty replied that
auxiliary lighting plant installed at
Parliament House, if not needed
there, could be used in other
directions by the Government.
Every consideration had been
given to the conditions under
which the staff of Parliament
House were working and it was
intended to ask the House to
sit from 2 p.m. to 6.15 p.m. to
day. Further consideration would
be given by the Government to
the hours of sitting.
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