The Age from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia • Page 5

THE AGE, Thursday, January 27, 1977 HOME NEWS 5 Warder backs change Sept. '76 from PM's axe lops off 8000 Department level bashim Attacks were merciless, inquiry told 28,503 19.396 14,121 11,384 11,247 9,653 8,833 7,579 6.599 5,368 4,790 4,114 3.438 3,352 3,091 2,577 2.296 2.229 2,203 1,839 1.533 1 Defence 2 Treasury 3 Construction 4 Transport 5 Repatriation 6 Admin. Services 7 Social Security 8 Health 9 Business Affairs 10 Employment 1 1 Foreign Affairs 12 Industry Comm. 13 Capital Territory 14 Education 15 Primary Industry 16 Science 17 Prime Minister's 1 8 Northern Territory 19 Attorney-General's 20 Environment, 21 Natural Resources 22 Immigration 23 Aboriginal Affairs 24 Overseas Trade 25 Posts Telecom. 3,543 648 1,029 515 141 481 1,111 1,050 334 330 581 26 214 184 54 220 129 261 240 412 11 74 86 58 48 claims 1.478 1.266 1,130 663 158.682 19,737 178,419 428 Total PS staff Non-PS staff TOTAL Police won't budge over Button Police would not concede yesterday that a man who spent three nights in Pentridge last year for non-payment' of a taxation fine was the wrong man.

The secretary of the Police Association, Inspector Tom Rippon, said he believed police had acted properly in arresting Robin Barry Button, 38, in October. He said Button was interviewed by five police officers while he was held at the watchhouse on October 24, and made no suggestion that he was not the man named in the warrant. "When police approached the man and asked if he was Barry Button, he replied that ne was," Inspector Rippon said. "The police said that his name appeared in a Commonwealth taxation warrant and asked if he was the right man. "He replied: "I've been working without paying lax.

You're probably looking lor me," Inspector Rippon said. Button's mother, Mrs. Mar-jorie Wright, of Fern Tree Gully, said on Tuesday that her son, an invalid pensioner, had carried a social welfare identity card when police arrested him in the city. Refused She said police refused to believe her when she insisted that her son was named Robin and not Barry. Inspector Rippon said he believed part of the problem stemmed from the different procedures adopted for Commonwealth and State warrants.

Had Button been served with a State warrant, he would have had 72 hours notice to pay the fine, but Commonwealth warrants required instant payment or the detention of the offender. "In the circumstances, the police did what they believed was right and proper," Inspector Rippon said. "I believe our people have done nothing wrong. They have not yet conceded that he was not the right man." Inspector Rippon said he believed the allegations raised by the State spokesman for social welfare, Mr. Eddy, were little bit 4.896 5,324 By TIM C0LEBATCH Federal departments have cut their staff levels more than 3 per cent in the first nine months of the Fraser Government.

Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show there was an overall drop of nearly 8000 in people employed by Federal departments and authorities between December, 1975 and September, 1976. The number of public servants employed in some departments fell by more than 10 per cent. One the Department of Environment, Housing and Community Development lost almost a fifth of its staff. But the Bureau's figures show that some departments were able to increase their staff in the first nine months of the Fraser Government. The Treasury is an interesting example.

Its Public Service staff increased by 648 over the nine months to 19,396 a rise of more than 3 per cent. But close examination of the figures shows that the number worknig for the Treasury proper dropped from 1550 to 1468. The real "Treasury" increase took place in the Australian Taxation Office whose PS staff grew from 12,491 to 12,909 and in the Bureau of Statistics itself (from 3878 to 4181). The Department of Defence had the biggest increase on paper from 24.900 to 28.503 but this was solely due to a change in the definition of the "Public The total civilian staff of the Defence Department has aciuallv fallen by 748 from 33,697 to 32,919. Fewer postmen The figures show there are comparatively few public servants in the areas that attracted the most intense criticism under the Labor Government such as the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and the Department of Environment, Housing and Community Development.

In fact, more than half our Federal public servants are in five traditional departments Defence, Treasury, Construction, Transport and Repatriation. Three of the Federal Government's major statutory authorities also made significant staff cutbacks in the first nine month of the Freser Government. The most linking was Australia Post, whose staff numbers dropped by 1615 to 34,716. The ABC had a net loss of 553 employees in the nine-month period, but still had 7099 people on its payroll at the end of September. The Commonwealth Railways also shed 6 per cent of its workforce to end September with 3960 employees Medibank made spectacular moves in the other direction as it entered the field of private room cover its staff grew from 4166 to 5096.

SYDNEY. A prison officer yesterday supported prisoners' allegations of bashings by Bathurst prison officers after a jail riot in October, 1970. Prison Officer First Class Raymond George Atkins, nicknamed the "angry said that after the riot there was a week of "merciless unprovoked assaults" on prisoners with wooden and rubber batons and fists. At the commission of inquiry into New South Wales prisons he named nine officers, including the former prison superintendent, Mr. J.

W. Pallot, as being involved in the assaults. Atkins, now stationed at Parramalta Jail, also claimed yesterday that: He had been threatened about giving evidence of the assaults on prisoners. Pallot had been "completely unreceptive" about prisoners' concern about the impending Bathurst riot in 1974. The departmental inquiry into the 1970 riot was a sham and a whitewash.

Atkins said a prison officer worked himself into a lather of sweat and frothed at the mouth as he beat an unresisting prisoner. 1 Atkins said that on October 20, 1970, Prison Officer Best beat a prisoner called Dowd with a rubber baton. Best kept repeating that Dowd should call him But even when the prisoner did so Best continued to hit him. Atkins said Dowd offered no resistance. "Best worked himself in a lather of sweat, was frothing at the mouth and had blood on his shirt," Atkins said.

"As far as I am aware Dowd had a broken Atkins said he had seen Pallot strike a prisoner with his closed fist. Atkins named Prison Officers Mutton, Douglas, Best, Ddrrey, Aitken, Klok, McCauley and Woods as being involved in flogging prisoners. He said that on October 21 he saw Officer Mutton strike one of the Dargin brothers who were docile boys. Atkins said Mutton accused the boy Dargin of "running around with the rest of them Dargin replied: "No I wasn't, Mr. change Sept'76 hom level Qec'75 1 Telecom 89,709 243 2 Australia Post 34,71 6 1 ,61 5 3 Commonwealth Bank 26,720 337 4Qantas 11,159 299 5TAA 7,750 236 6 ABC 7,099 553 7CSIRO 6.980 299 8 Medibank 5.096 930 9 Commonwealth Rail 3,960 233 10 Reserve Bank 3,594 48 Others 18.878 349 TOTAL 215,661 2,608 Prison Officer George Atkins, the "angry who supported NSW prisoners' claims that they have been bashed by Bathurst warders.

Lecturer held in Sri Lanka Screaming FOR PETE SAKE.SMnHERS!! A Monash University law lecturer, arrested in Sri Lanka, could face charges over a book of cartoons, a 1 colleague said last night. Dr. Wlckrema Weerasoo- GET A MOVE IS OUR I AST HANf F- TO SAVE A ria. 36, a specialist in bank ing law, was arrested by ponce in coioniDo. He has been held over a book containing cartoons and verses about Sri Lanka's A Carlton psychotherapist VgUNPlE ON A NEW VOWOHJ NO LEADS TO SEX MURDERS Homicide detectives investigating the Easey Street sex murders are still "quietly confident" at finding the killer soon.

Bui they say interviews with "scores and scores" of associates and neighbors of the murdered girls in the past 13 days had not given any positive leads. The head of the Homicide Squad, Detective Inspector Noel Jubb. believes that someone who has not yet come forward does know who killed Suzanne Armstrong, 27, and Susan Bartlett, 28, in their Easey Street house on January 10. "It's just a matter of communications," Inspector Jubb said yesterday. "Somebody knows who did it it's just a matter of using the right approach to convince them to come forward.

"The killer more than likely had blood on himself, on his forehead and perhaps in his car. Somebody, who has not yet contacted us, must have noticed," he said. Confidential Inspector Jubb said it was possible that the killer was a schizophrenic who had since reverted to his normal pattern of behavior. He appealed to anyone who had any suspicions about any person to come forward. All information would be treated confidentially.

"We are pinning our hopes on the person who knows the killer's identity, but we are continuing to pursue every line of investigation we can," he said. Inspector Jubb said it would be "days" before police had exhausted all avenues of investigation open to them. "Most of the names in the teledex of the two girls had been interviewed and cleared," he said. There were "a number" who had not yet been contacted or whose stories had not yet been substantiated. But Mutton flogged him with a short rubber baton- and Dargin began screaming and started running away.

The floggings had gone on for about five minutes but at no time had Dargin, an Aborigine, fought back. Atkins said he regarded a message he received from Prison Officer Aitken through Prison Officer Miller on January 19 as a threat to him not to give 'any evidence that might involve him in any of the assaults. During the inquiry Prison Officer Klok had told him: "Any officer who gives evidence incriminating any officer in any way will be nothing better than a mongrel "I have never hidden my intention to tell the truth about the 1970 riot and I regard this as directed to me personally," Atkins said. Within the past couple of weeks a senior prison officer at Parramatta Jail had asked him if he was going ahead with "this Royal Commission Atkins said he replied: "Yes, I am still going ahead because I believe it has to be done for the betterment of the The officer had said that this could be dangerous for Atkins' The officer had said words to the effect: "You've a long way to go the service. You're doing fairly well and it would be a shame to bugger it up at this Prime Minister, Mrs.

Banda-ranaike, and her Government. Reports from Colombo said the book was regarded as criminally defamatory. Dr. Weerasooria, has been released on bail. His passport has been impounded.

He was due to return to Australia this week. He came with his wife and two sons to Australia in 1974, and had returned to Sri Lanka for the Christmas holidays. A colleague in Melbourne said last night: "To judge from the news reports, the authorities decided to frame a charge against him. "If that is so, the next step would be a trial." He said the action against Dr. Weerasooria had been taken under emergency reglations.

claimed yesterday tnat Button looked "very sick" when he was arrested. The psychotherapist, who wanted to be known only by his first name, John, said he spoke with Button in the City Square just before he was arrested on October 24. He said Button was behaving oddly, was jumping on seats in the square and looked very ill. "That is obviously why the police picked him up," he said. 'Very ill' "Only the most inexperienced policeman would have mistaken his condition." John said he had known Button for six or seven years after meeting him at Royal Park.

John said he was on his way to a church in Collins Street when he saw Button in the square. "He looked very ill and I asked if he was going back to hospital soon, but he said 'no'." Button was cleanly dressed but had not shaved. John claimed that on the day that Button was moved from the City Watchhouse to Pentridge a warder rang the Anglican chaplain at the prison complaining that Button needed special treatment and should not be at the prison. But the chaplain could not be contacted last night to confirm this. The Chief Secretary.

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