THE MARATHON MOUNT ISA STRIKE Continuing biog of Crusading Editor , “Big Jim ” Bowditch.

Police  arresting  strikers  in   Queensland  Government  plan  to  smash  unions .

Due to  his close  involvement  in  the  running of  the Mount Isa Mail in Queensland  as well as being editor of the  Northern Territory News in Darwin   , Bowditch  was  able to  tell of a  rare occasion  when  Rupert   Murdoch lost  a  newspaper  battle  due to  people with  greater wealth and   determination .  This was  during  the  protracted  Mount Isa  Mines  strike    from    August  l964  to  April  l965  which was seen  as a  threat to  the  Queensland  economy . Workers had  asked for more showers to be  made available  at the end  of shifts , an increase in pay of $8 a week  and  other  better  conditions , which  were  refused.

The  key   figure  in the dispute , which involved  4000 workers, was  Pat Mackie, right, who wore a red baseball cap and  became a national identity, attracting  “ commie”  epithets    from  his  detractors , even  being   described as  a  Canadian -Yankee gangster  -  despite having  been  born in  New Zealand , his  father  Australian .

 

 Born in l914 , he ran away to sea at 15  and was involved in union activities  , including  being  a ''captain of  picket captains'' in a lengthy New York waterfront strike  in 1948 , in which police used horses  trained to rear up and  kick at picketers  and  gangsters, acting  on behalf of  the agents provocateur  who  were  infiltrating  union  lines.

After travelling widely, including Canada , Mackie was attracted  to  Mount Isa  where  it was said  there  was money to be made . From Brisbane he  headed north  and confronted police  in Bundaberg  over the treatment of an  Aboriginal man. Defending  the  strike ,  Mackie   said  the situation was really a  lockout  by one of the  world's largest mining companies, the American Mining and Smelting Corporation.  Mount Isa Mines Limited, he charged, had  manufactured  and  prolonged the dispute  to  escalate  world  copper prices.

 

By Peter Simon  

The Queensland  Premier Sir Francis Nicklen claimed the strike was part of  ''communist strategy'' to wreck every major development in the state. It has been  reported that the   federal government asked  ASIO   whether it  was possible to  deport  Mackie and  received  advice  it was not. When the Australian Council of  Trade Unions threatened  a  statewide  24-hour strike  in Queensland,  the Nicklin Government called  off  its  state  of  emergency.  At first , the  Mount  Isa  Mail  had covered  the  strike.  However, as the  strike  proceeded and  feelings ran high , the  town  painted in  swastikas  overnight  , a decision was taken by   Murdoch executive , Leo  McDonald , in Brisbane  to ignore the  major event  which was  receiving  nation-wide coverage. In a taped interview, Bowditch said McDonald had been “ terrified ” about  upsetting  the  mining company and that MIM  would  start  its own paper , which eventuated .

 

Bowditch had protested that the  strike was getting “massive” press coverage  down south , being the biggest story in the country  at  the time , and you could   just  not  fail  to report  it  in the  hometown  paper. McDonald had “ pulled rank” on him  and said  not  to  cover  the  strike . They  had  become “ more or  less  permanent  enemies .” 

 Written instructions  were  issued  to  Bowditch  from  Brisbane  not  to  cover  the strike  in  the paper . So  while  the  bitter  strike  threatened  the  Queensland  economy  and  copper prices rose globally  , the Mail simply did  not  report  the  event . 

 
A  NOTHING  NEWSPAPER  IN " TROPICAL  ISA"
 

Because of  this stance  , Jim said   all  parties in  the  dispute  went against  the Mail. In Bowditch’s estimation, the mining company  came to the conclusion that  the  Mail , by not supporting the  company , was clearly not  on  its side. And by  eventually not  running   anything  at  all about  the dispute , it was really regarded  as  “ a  nothing  ” newspaper. Bowditch  admitted , however  , that had he  had his way and  fully covered  the  strike ,  following  certain angles that   he  felt  should have been  pursued , especially  with  Mackie ,  the  mining  company would  probably have  been  “ dirty ” on the  Mail  anyway . 

Eventually , MIM  offered to  buy the  Mail , but News  Limited  refused to sell.  On  being  knocked  back , MIM  started  a new newspaper, The Star ,  with the  help of  Asher Joel, a prominent  PR man  who had  worked  for  the Victorian  Liberal Party . 
 

Joel was a  friend of  media owner Frank Packer  and  when  he started in opposition to  Murdoch ,  Consolidated Press editor- in-chief  and prominent columnist , David McNicoll ,   walked into  the  reporters’ room at the  Sydney Daily  Telegraph  and asked  if  anybody  would like to  go and work in the tropics , saying there was a job available in  Mount  Isa . A reporter  who  heard  McNicoll make  the  statement  and  had  worked  in the Isa  , said  he  did not regard   the   mining  town  as  very  tropical .  

Murdoch  decided  to  fight  the  new  paper  and  Bowditch was  sent to  Mt Isa for about  three months. Both publications brought out  large weekly papers  in  the small  mining town.  Bowditch estimated that  they   were  losing  5000  pound ($10,000)  a week . While Bowditch said the  opposition paper was  inferior , it  had the  backing of the mining company  which  owned  the  town .  Murdoch   came  to  Mount  Isa  for a   conference  with  Bowditch  and  Leo  McDonald  and a    MIM  representative.  
 

 McDonald  and  Bowditch had  a stand up argument ; McDonald  blaming  Bowditch for the  situation  in  Mount Isa . Bowditch pointed out  he had the  written  directive  from McDonald  not to  write anything  about  the  strike and  this had damaged  the paper   in  all sectors. 

The MIM   company  representative  agreed  that  the fact  that the paper  had  not covered the strike was the reason  why  a rival publication  had  been  started.   It  was  impossible  for the  Murdoch  paper to  survive in the  company  owned and  run  town.  Murdoch eventually cut  his  losses  and  sold out.  MIM closed down The Star  and  the Mail continued.

The  August  1965 edition of  Overland  carried  Pat Mackie’s  own account   of  the  Mount Isa   strike and  opened with  this strong  statement : While the nation’s  press gleefully and no doubt dutifully reports that the Mt Isa  strike  is over and  that the mine workers  are whistling their way home  with much enlarged pay packets, a true picture  would portray Mt.Isa as nothing other than a forced labor  camp. Sullen and morose workers , driven back to work on the Company’s terms by the Nicklin Government's police  state legislation , are  far  from whistling.  They are seething with rage  and  resentment  as evidence  reveals the bitter  truth  that only a  few of the original contract miners are henceforth  to  be permitted to work on contract. This means, for the majority, a resultant  cut of more  than  fifty per cent in  take- home pay...

In an explanatory note, Overland said it was pleased to publish Mackie’s  retrospect on the strike, the most serious outburst  of industrial unrest  in  Australia in 15 years. The strike, it said , was so so dramatic  and the leadership of  Mackie  so dynamic  that  both would  provide material  for sociological  and political  analysis for  decades to come…In addition, the recent warnings  by  the Deputy  Prime Minister of the dangerous inroads  of  foreign capital  have a relevance as  poignant  in the  field  of Australian life  as  in  industries  like  Mount Isa.

MURDOCH  BUYS ANOTHER  PAPER

Despite being forced out of Mount Isa, Murdoch  soon had  another regional  paper -  the  Centralian Advocate  in Alice Springs , which he  bought  in l966 .  Bowditch  said Murdoch, keen on the uptake,  had probably  formed the  intention   to  buy the  Alice paper when Jock  Nelson ,  MHR , offered   half  share  to Jim if he came back  as editor. However,  Nelson told this writer that  once in  Canberra  he  had  asked   Murdoch  if he  would  like to  buy  the Advocate.   Murdoch   said  he was tied up  with other things at the time -his new venture , The Australian one of them-  but asked Nelson if he needed  some money .   

Nelson replied  that it was not a  money problem  at the Advocate , but a  staff problem .  Putting more money into the paper would  just be  like pouring  money down the  drain.  Asher Joel , the man who had been in   opposition  to  Murdoch  in  Mount Isa, had made  an  offer  for the  Alice  paper ,  but  it had    been  rejected .  Another who expressed  an interest  in  buying    had  been   Colonel Lionel  Rose  with   backing  from  people  on   the  conservative  side  of Territory politics.   

Reporter Tony  Malone, who had worked  at the NT News  , was  appointed  managing  editor of the Advocate.  Malone subsequently took  up important posts in Sydney and  Arizona  in  the  expanding Murdoch  empire.

In 2002, Mackie published his autobiography Many Ships to Mount Isa. A reviewer wrote  : ''When confronted as to  his ideological position, he (Mackie) would clearly  define himself as  a  Wobbly, working  tirelessly to improve the working and living conditions of  the rank and file''. In 2007 his  achievements  were  the subject of a Queensland musical, Red Cap, his legacy to Mount Isa good working conditions  and  other  community  facilities. NEXT:The  French connection upsets  Murdoch.