. Melbourne correspondent reports: The first issue of V ard has appeared, The pro-China tabloid has four pages and proclaims that it stands for "Peace and Socialism — for Marxiem—Leninism." The paper reports that its supporters are collecting money to put before the Australian working class the case for the “formation of a Marxist-Leninist party to uphold working class principle to expose the renegades who call themselves Communists, but who have deserted the cause of Commnism,"
Other moves in the rapidly moving situation hava been (1) the formal expulsion of Hill and his chief lieutenant, exCentral Committee member Mrs, Flo Russell. (2) the appointment by Hsinhua of Duncan Clarke as a full—time representative. Clarke, = protege of Hill's for many years and member of the Victorian State Committee of the Communist Party, is ea forceful person ality and has proven organising and propaganda abilities, This appointment is a materly stroke, especially under the geographical conditions of Australia with the very large distance between cities, (3) in his letter of resignation Hill promised to make available 'stenographic recordings of discussions botween L.L, Sharkey, Re Dixon and Chinese Party leaders, including Mao Tse Tung," These were made, no doubt, in the period when the Australian C,P. was supporting the Chinese and should prove very papers penine to the now pro-Khrushchov leaders of the Australian C.P..
The new party will have a base in the Victorian trade unions, notably the Tramways, the Painters and Builders! Labourcrs, The Hillites are gaining strength in the Melbourne branch of the Vaterside Yorkers' Federation too, Outside of Victoria it is difficult to gauge their strength. In Sydney, the docker, Syd Clare, ex-editor of the ,.¥.F. paper "Tharfie™ and who has recently been to Melbourne, is expected to help. Leading Tasmanian Communist, W,. Honeychurch is thought to be sympathetic, as is Nancy Wills, loading light of the Australia-China Friendship Society, Both she and her seaman husband have spont some time in China in recent years,
It would seem that the C,F, Central Committes area being outmanoouvred all along the line, “hy is this? It is not sufficient to talk about the basic correctness of the Chinese line, because the Trotskyists of 1929-32 were oven more basically correct and they had a bigger basis of support and yet they were almost smashed into oblivion from an organisational point of view. Ilere -there are new factors (a) the loss of dynamism and self-confidence on the part of the C.P.s (b) the support in machinery, finance, advice and morale given by a powerful state (c) the experience, background and training . of poople like Hill and others in understanding the bureaucratic methods of the C,F,