The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 9

9 The Sydney Morning Herald, Tubs, Aug 23, 1977 9 LABOR LOSES GREAT SURVIVOR Tie-breaker necessary BRIDGE I Big Rex FINNSCAPE Connor last 16 pairs and won a prize as the leading women's pair. In recent years I have flown to many country districts and lectured to improved groups during weekends. I plan to do moro of this in future and will welcome inquiries from clubs. Have fun with your friends NORTH 'AA875432 AKQJ10 with this amusing deal from the Terence Reese-Roger Trezel book Blocking and Unblocking Plays' In Bridge, a Hyperion Book plus postage from Contract Bridge Supplies, P.O. Box 144, Northbridge, 2063).

South in seven no-trump can make the contract after West has led K. To do so needs some spectacular unblocking in both minor suits. efeA must bo discarded, and trick one taken with A. This clears the way for five club winners on which all the top diamonds are thrown from dummy. Six diamond tricks are run next, after which A A completes the grand slam.

The 12th annual congress of the Lindfield Bridge Club will be played from Friday, September 30, to Sunday. October 2, 1977. Details from P.O. Box 209, Lindfield. NSW, 2070.

Mr Don Evans will be tournament director. By FRANK CAYLEY For the first time an extra deal was needed to break a tie in The Sydney Morning Hcrald-Sun-Herald rubber bridge competition which ended on Sunday. By winning the tie-breaker Len Read and Ron Hutchison (Sydney) defeated another Sydney pair, Tim Seres and Mary McMahon. What impressed me most in this year's tournament was the size and enthusiasm of the entry from country districts. Mr and Mrs Chris Horsfall, of Albury, came fourth in the championship, thus winning $200 plus special awards for leading husband-wife partnership and leading country pair.

Mrs J. Gauntlet! and Mrs T. Raine (Tcrrigal) reached the my ignored all critics One of the great survivors in the Australian WEST EAST AQ 10653 76 is I aVaaaaaaaBaannaanea AKJ109 VKQJ98742 5 4876432 SOUTH A 6 A 985432 KQJ109 Labor Party, Mr Rex Connor, who died yesterday, was a political institution in himself for many years in the Wollongong area. Mr Connor 1 Sprint-style driving keeps lead OFFICE LANDSCAPE The London to Sydney By the Motoring Editor The Mercedes-Benz of German rally driver Achim Warmbold, has survived a gruelling weekend to stay at the head of the 45 remaining cars in the Singapore Airlines London to Sydney rally. marathon newspaper as "a controversial figure, with the happy or unhappy knack of engendering staunch friendship and equally staunch enmity." His wife, Grace, whom he married in 1931, had her own opinion: "There is only one Rex Connor.

There will never be another." Mr Connor had a stormy stay in State politics and sometimes openly defied the NSW ALP executive. He criticised right-wing Labor ministers, to the extent that moves to expel him from the ALP were once contemplated. His right-wing critics called him "The Landlord" (because he owned substantial property) while he was in State Parliament, but this was nothing to the nicknames he acquired in Canberra. They included "The Strangler," "Brontosaurus Rex," "King Kong" and "The Abominable Snowman." Mrs Connor died on April 10 this year. He is survived by his sons Peter, Rex and Michael.

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Cantell is continuing and hopes to catch the leaders by Madras. As the cars streamed out, of Tehran to tackle the rocky, rough and dusty track across the desert towards Afghanistan, Warmbold was being pursued by Zasada with- Mercedes Bcnz 280s taking up the next three places. Tony Fowkes of England had taken over third spot from Scotsman Andrew Cowan the winner of the 1968 London to Sydney Marathon with Germany's Alfred Kling in fifth position. The English-Australian crew of Paddy Hopkirk and Bob Riley in the Total Team Citroen CX2400 are sixth with Australian rally champion Ross Dunkerton having made up a few places in the Total Peugeot 504 tn seventh spot. It is leading the pack across one of the driest areas of the world, Iran's Great Kavir Desert.

Rally stewards say Warm-bold is pushing the Mercedes as if in a four-day European sprint event A broken shock absorber in a special stage between Istanbul and Ankara gave the lead for a short time to the Polish rally champion Sobieslaw Zasada in his Porsche Carrera. But Warmbold recaptured the lead during a second special stage at Beypazara a few hours later. Several cars crashed during the special stages and on busy roads in Turkey beforehand. Australians Dave Bradford and Gil Davis in a Peugeot 504 station waggon are in hospital after a head-on collision with a private car in Turkey. And Off-Road Australia editor Wayne Cantell in his Jeep had his head badly cut after being forced off the road by a truck in Turkey.

Dr Ben Wil irowimbyilfi Stubbornness, astuteness and a solid ability which his opponents often underestimated carried him through many difficult years in State and Federal politics. Mr Connor survived protract-e knock-down-and-drag-out faction fights which divided Labor in NSW in the 1950s, and earlier, and found himself called a left-wins troublemaker and a rebel against Labor Cabinets. The name-calling never bothered him, and he emerged as a formidable figure politically. Physically, he was also formidable, for he was huge. Switching successfully from State to Federal politics, he became Minister for Minerals and Fnergy in the Whitlam Labor Government until its defeat in December, 1975, and in that capacity ran into conflicts with State Governments such as those of Queensland and Western Australia over the extent of national control of mineral resources.

The confrontation involved also the terms end direction of the marketing of those resources, and what limitations should apply to foreign investors in Australian mining. Mr Connor had a simple policy, best defined as a determination to secure the utmost Australian control of, and equity in. the resources. This inevitably made him anathema to those who saw Australia's mineral riches as something to develop and market with minimal restraint by the Commonwealth. At the same time, Mr Connor pressed ahead with the immense gas-pipeline project, and encountered vigorous opposition and criticism because it ran counter to private interests.

It also involved enormous expense and this led Mr Connor into a strange situation which ended in his resignation from the ministry. The Government had gone outside the established means of fund-raising in trying to get large loans to finance projects such as those Mr Connor pursued. The negotiations, which involved an astonishing collection of go-betweens who claimed to have access to vast sums of Arab money, proved to be a political gift to the Government's opponents. They gave the impression that the negotiations were of a sinister or conspiratorial nature. Mr Connor insisted that his own part in them had ended at a particular date, but a letter showed that he had maintained his interest in getting the loans after then.

Mr Whitlam, then Prime a Ji eofoyir Minister, asked for his resignation on the ground that Parliament had been misled. Mr Connor went to the backbenches. He told Parliament: I am an honest man. I deal with honest people. I have no apologies to make for what I have done." His electors agreed.

Several months later, although the Labor Government suffered a disastrous defeat, Mr Connor easily retained his seat of Cunningham. Throughout his term as Minister for Minerals and Energy, blunt Mr Connor did not spare his critics. He described leaders of the mining industry as "mugs and hillbillies" for writing export contracts in American dollars when that currency showed signs of losing value, and suffering consequent losses. He kept up a running fight with the news media. He once complained that tho "apes of the press" wanted to know everything.

In March, 1973, he said: There are two groups of people in the Federal Parliament those who woo the press and those who don't. To be brutally frank, the national press is not worth a crumpet." A member of a family which settled in the Wollongong district in 1836, Reginald Francis Xavicr Connor he always called himself Rex was born on January 26, 1907, in Wollongong, but he was uncommunicative about the date. He did not bother to provide it when it appeared erroneouslv, ranging from 1906 to 1909. in newspapers at various times, but he issued, in 1950, a brief statement which confirmed the year as 1907. He was a dux of Wollongong High School.

The death of his father in 1924 prevented his family from sending him to university. Two years later, he joined the ALP. He qualified as a solicitor by taking the Solicitors' Admission Board course, but could not find a place to practise in Wollongong. Mr Connor prospered in a garage business. dealt in machinery, bought 32 acres near Wollongong, grew vegetables under contract in World War II and served for six years on Wollongong City Council.

A widely-read man, he interested himself in many subjects, including economics, science, engineering, sociology, philosophy and ecology, and spoke four foreign languages fluently. The classics fascinated him. In 1940, Mr Connor and other ALP members found themselves dubbed "leftists" in a party faction fight, but they were readmitted after exclusion for four years. In the ALP pre-selection ballot for the State seat of Wollon-gong-Kembla in 1950, he defeated the sitting member and remained in State Parliament until 1963, when he gained ALP endorsement for the Federal seat of Cunningham. Mr Connor had lpng been ambitious to enter Federal politics and, 23 years before he did so, he unsuccessfully opposed, as a member of the Hughes-Evans Labor group, the sitting official Labor member.

He had been described by a off fike.i1umii Whitlam will attack Budget tonight CANBERRA. The Federal Budget will come under concerted attack from the Labor Party in Parliament tonight. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Whitlam, will reply to the speech of the Treasurer, Mr Lynch, at 8 pm, and will argue that the Budget is fraudulent and that its strategy is the reverse to that which should be applied. Parliament is expected to adjourn this afternoon as a mark of respect to the former Labor Minister for Minerals and Energy, Mr Rex Connor, who died yesterday. It will resume after dinner.

The Australian Broadcasting Tribunal's report on self-regulation into the broadcasting industry will be tabled on Thursday. The report is expected to be controversial as the Tribunal's chairman, Mr Bruce Gyngell, expresses a dissenting view on aspects of the inquiry to the two other members of the tribunal. On Thursday, the Government is expected to make its announcement on the mining and export of uranium. aft sws ewviil mm cabufl you feusiimesSi Fewer cars registered CANBERRA. Registrations of new cars and station waggons slipped in July after two months of strong recovery.

From the April figure of 29,303, registrations climbed to 37,645 in May and 40,514 in June. In July, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, they fell to 38,139, comparable with 38,231 in the previous July. Seasonally adjusted figures show a similar pattern to the raw figures, with a 4 per cent decline from 39,850 in May to 38,266 in July. The seasonally adjusted figure for the previous July was 36,261. "Airline offers snoozer seats MFLBOURNF.

Singapore Airlines has introduced reclining swivel seats called snoozcrs on its newest Boeing 747 jet. They will be available to first class passengers on a first come first served basis on night flights between Britain, Europe, The Middle East, South-East Asia and Australia. WEATHER Temperature reading! are In Celsius. Rainfall readings; 1 millimetre equals approximately 4 points. The following Information was Issued by the Weather Bureau at I pm yesterday.

Today coastal sea breezes. Seal alight, low swell. Metropolitan: Dry. Mild days, cool nights. Variable winds with seabreezes occasionally by day.

Seas slight, low swell. Yesterday Average annual rainfall Sydney over 118 years, 1.220mm Average over 118 years, from Jan 1 to end ot Aug. 915mm. Total from January 1, 977 to 9 am yesterday, 807mm. Total (or corresponding period 0( 1976, 1.217mm.

Total (rom 9 am to 3 pm. yesterday nil. Temperature yesterdavt 9 am 16 5: 3 pm 18.1; 8 pm 14 degree C. Sydney maximum to 3 pm 20.2 (at 1.20 pm), minimum, 24 hours to 9 am, 11 (at 3.20 "Barometer! 9 am 1019, 3 pm 1019.9 8 pm 1024.8 millibars. Humidity: 9 am 56, 3 pm 48, 8 pm S6 per cent.

Wind: Greatest velocity. 60 km from SW at 1 1 .30 am. WEATHER SYNOPSIS Local showers on the southern BUREAU OP ftS 101 0. ISOBARS' lilt ISEAS INDS RAINFALL uV.ai. iS.uy I art Kan tea wash r80NT.am at, mmm ut aw METROPOLITAN FORECAST Rather cold morning.

Cool to mild and sunny day. Light to mod SW to SI Stai alight, low awcli. OTHER CITY FORECASTS Melbourne, tint 19 Brisbane, fine 24 Adelaide, fin 22 Hobart, Ana 15 Perth, shower, 19 Darwin, (in 31 Canberra, tunny 14 Alice Springs. (In 2S Temperature! yesterday ware: Brisbane 26, 13; Melbourne 16, 7: Hobart 14, 4: Adelaide 18. 10; Darwin 33, 20: Canberra 14, Alice Springs 27.

4. NSW FORECAST Local early mornlnn frosts and JSflgjfif aMaaigasssaasssl jfmmm fmm. I 'A -'m 1 L- w- (. i i aLeam aaniMlilniMi vmmm-r, etTmM'- fog patches Inland. Cool to mild and mainly sunny with light variable winds in north and light alps and exposed Fin elsewhere.

NSW temperatures: Highest, 30- degt at Gralton. Kempsey. and Taree, Lowest minimum to mod nw winds in th south. Saas slight. Low swell.

REGIONAL FORECASTS minus 6 degs at Thredbo. AIM FALL SYNOPSIS Northern Rivers: Mild and mostly sunny with SW to SE winds. Seas slight. Low swell. Mid North Coast: Mild and Isolated to well scattered, light Warm front: A body of warm air which la forced to climb ever a colder and denser air mass.

Associated rain la generally mere continuou though not as Intensive as with cold front. Cold front: A body of cold air which undercut the warmer less dense air forcing It upwards, usually violently ndj with lowering of temperature. but locally mod reported on tne Southern Tablelands and SW mostly sunny with SW to SE winds. Seas slight, low swell. Hunt.r, Tanl to milH anri lunnv with light winds and coastal sea- murra 6 Cootamundra 0.6 Gun- Dreezes.

seas slight, low swell. South Coast and lllawarra: Cool AIR POLLUTION to mild and sunny with light winds Slopes. Isolated very light falls on the South Coast. Highest fall was 45mm at Parlsher Valley. RIVER HEIGHTS (Changes In 24 hours In brackets) (ailing: steady: rising Darling River system Macintvrai Yetman 0.74; Sog-gabllla 0.85.

Barwen: Munglndl 3.37 (S): Coilarenebrl 2.18 (F); Walgett 5.12; Brewarrlna 2.7. inland and alternoon coastal sea breezes. Seas sliaht. low Northern Tablelands! Early (rosts then cool sunny day with light SW to SE winds. Central Tablelands: Early frosts arid fog patches.

Cool sunny day Light oagat 1 Hoioroox u.b nume Reservoir 3 Khancoban 3 Tarcutta 1 Tumbarumba 2 Tumut 3. Southern Tablelands: Bombala 1 Dalgety 0.8 Delegate 1 Perish-er Valley 0.4S Thredbo 3 Yass 0.2. Northern Rlversi Maclean 2 Nlmbln 0.2 Yamba 0.2. Mid-North Coast: CoKs Harbour 0.2. South Coaati Candelo 0.6 Gabo Island (Vic) 2 Merimbul Airport 0.2 Pambula 1.

The World Weather canrilHana an mm. mmvi: msnnia nedah 1.2; Narrabrl 1.29. Macquarle: Wellington J.I): Dubbo Pump Stn 0.63 (S); War-ran 3.0. Bokharai Goodooga 0,86. Culgoa: Brenda 0.56.

Darling! Bourke 4.7S (F) Tllpa 4.14 (F): Menlndee 8.16; Bur- room dividers, provide ample storage space through adjustable vertical shelves. Is It any wonder then that it was awarded tho Good Design Label by the Industrial Design Council of Australia? Let the Brownbuilt Fliteline Series 700 Office Furniture range say everything about your business. For further Information on Brownbuilt Fliteline Series 700 Office Furniture return this coupon for our colour brochure or contact the Brownbuilt office or distributors in your state. The smoke haze reading near Hunter Street was 32 micrograms per cubic metre, between am and 4 pm. Near Broadway the reading was 26 micrograms after being 87 between 8 am and 9 am.

The sulphur dioxide concentration near Hunter Street was 3.7 parts per hundred million with 3.3 pphm near Broadway. The highest hourly ozono concentration recorded by the State Pollution Control Commission at Lid com be was 3.9 pphm between 12 and 1 pm, a light reading. Ptraturet In major world cltlei on tundy 6.9! Louth 3.S2 (F)J Wll-cannla 4.3 F)i Pooncarrl 7.04 AUPUI at at, Were. Mm Max 1 19 Amsterdam, cloudy Attwna. lunnv (r), MURRAY RIVER SYSTEM Murray: Hume Reservoir 188.99 (FT): Hevwoedt 2.7 (R); Doctor's Point 2.77 (R); Albury mm Mini winos.

I Southern Tablelands) Early (rosts 'J)I SS81 dry. iiaht to mod NW winds. North West Slope and Plaint: A mild day after early frosts locally. Sunny with light winds. Central West Slopes and Plains: Early frost and loo patches.

Cool to mild, sunny day with light winds. South Wast Slopes: Morning fog and frost patches. Cool to mild day, sunny with light ta mod NW winds. Riverine and MIA: Dry, mild day with light to mod NW winds. Upper Waiter Dry.

mild to Warm day with light NE to NW Winds. Lower Western: Dry, mild to warm day with light to mod NW winds. Sydney Waters: Winds westerly overnight becoming SWSE in afternoon. Seas slight, low swell. Tatman Sea West of Long 160 degt winds to S.

Seas alight to mod, mainly low swell. NSW Coast: Winds SW to SE. Seas slight, low swell. PRESSURE MOVEMENTS Th high In NSW will drift eait and maintain settled weather for (1.7a IKj; yarrawonga weir: up stream 124.7 (F); Downstream 1.38 R): Tocumwai i.ae ir; Brownbullt Fllteline Series 700 a complete range of colour, co-ordinated furniture designed to Off your ofice and soy something distinctive about your business. The Fliteline Series 700 rangeconsfets of modular design desks, vertical tiling cabinets, credenzas, cupboards and pedestals in a range of sizes and configurations an colour co-ordinated to tone with office decor.

Fllteline Series 700 desks can be adapted to suit Individual office layouts. They combine the practical strength of steel with the attractive warmth and finish of woodgrain tops and trim. Handsome filing cabinets are available in 2. 3 and 4 drawer sizes. Credenzas are designed to complement Brownbuilt's modular desks and can be conveniently located to add extra bench top and drawer space to your working area.

They come In a comprehensive range of sizes and configurations. Cupboards that fit just about anywhere from under windows or as POLLEN S.JF. Bsrham 1.38: (utton Weir: Upstream 46.67; Downstream 2.08; Wentworth Weir; Upstream S.94; Downstream 4.57. Auckland, fine angkok, clear elrut, sunny Berlin, cloudy roue Is, rain uenot Aires, clear Chita bo, rain Copenhagen, sunny Chris tchurch, cloudy Curltlba. cloudy Frankfurt, rain Geneva, rain Helsinki, cloudy Hon Kong, cloudy Honolulu, clear aowara: Mouiemein i.ui ir.

Murrumbldgeei Mittegong at, Made in Australia with Australian steel. (Cooma) 0.67 (F); Burrlnluck am: water eve: 301.0a The pollen count taken above the Herald building In Broadway vesterday was 12 grains per cubic metre. Gundagal 2.61; Downstream (S): Wagga 2.0 (R). Offtake Vanco Creek 18: Below Kiev, cloudy Lisbon, cloudy London, tunnv Snow Yanco weir i oa; nay i Maude Weir: Upstream 0.62; Downstream 0.79; Redbank Weir: Upstream 5.49; Downstream 0.71; Balranald 0 78. Lachlan: Wvangala Dam: Water level 378.26 (F); Downltream 24 10 27 23 12 13 11 10 28 24 5 IS 14 22 14 24 11 26 10 18 ll 20 22 i ,1 notner day or to.

Fronts moving ait from th Bight may bring report fejam showers to th south coast. 0N Th SW of Aust win gradually ill rei lowra 1 tDnaeoo'in com under tn influence or Spirit, 2 It cu' fu, nala.no. 2.68 high pressure rldg with dry weather developing. (R): Hllltton 3.66: Boellgal Weir 0.44 HVTRENM.25f? I COASTAL RIVER SYSTEM Los Anoeles, clear Madrid, clear Manila, cloudy Mexico City, clear Miami, cloudy Montreal, clear Moscow, cloudy New York, clear Oslo, cloudy far Is, cloudy Rio, clear Rome, rain San Francisco, cloudy Sao Paulo, cloudy Seoul, clear Singapore, rain Stockholm, cloudy Taipei, rain Teheran, cloudy Tel Aviv, sunnv Brownbuilt Sunday night saw a very welcome fall of snow In all tho ski resorts In NSW. A very strong westerly wind accompanied the snow and It is difficult to accurately measure the fail.

An averaoe of 8 ta Irm would Clarence: Baryulgll 1.31. Maclaavl Bellbrook 0.95. Hunteri Slnoleton 2.24! Malt- PLANETS Mercury 7.06 am Venua 4.26 am Mara 2.30 iuplter 2.5S am akurn K.07 am Sets 7.1 1 pm 2,35 pm 12.22 pm 12.4 pm 1 11 pm land 0.95. Naaun.Hawkaeburvl Warra be a fair estimate. gamba Dam below spillway: 1.43 OON PHAIIS Or TH, HI Brownbuilt: Steel Storage Equipment and Furniture.

Telephone: Melbourne 489 2311, Sydney 521 4244, Adelaide 276 51 11, Brisbane 277 4077, Perth 446 95 3944, Hobart 72 4666, Darwin 84 3311 rsorin nicnmono v. at tr. Pull moon, Aug 29, B.11 FQUH-DAV OUTLOOK RAINFALL REGISTRATION 72 Hours ended am yesterday Rlvarlnai Howlane 1. Tocumwai yesterday was warm wttn light breeze, and skl-lng was excel lent. Most lifts were working in ail resorts and crowds were fairly heavy.

All roads were open throughout Vho mountains area last night, NSWi Dry (or th moat part. A few sporadic showera on southern rangai. Mild dave. Cool tn ceold nlahta. Winds chiefly NW Tokyo, cloudy Toronto, cloudy Vancouver, cltar Wellington, fine O.B.

fouth-wait Slopes; Adelong 2 Albury i Burrlnjuck Dam I Cibra- to In southern areaa with I 1 vv i.