UNITY MOVEMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 32, 7 February 1934, Page 11

UNITY MOVEMENT.

AUSTRALIAN LABOUR. MR. LANG 'RECOGNISED' AGAIN MOMENTOUS CHANGES. (From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, February 1. A fortnight ago there was held in Melbourne the annual conference of the Victorian Labour party, aud it carried certain resolutions that may ultimately •produce important consequences for Labour and for the whole Commonwealth. It has long been evident that Labour —divided iato Langites, A.W.U., A.L.P., ft nd other sections —is at an immense disadvantage in its conflict with tho other political parties. Moreover, Laugism, because of the recklessness of its loader and its disloyalty to the A.L.P-, has long been regarded as a serious danger to the whole movement.

Last year Mr. Lang made an attempt to induce the Victorian Labour party to cast in it* lot with him, and though he failed, the negotiations which he engineered through Mr. Crofts, have now produced a definite effect. As a matter of fact, Laugism is the best organised section of Australian Labour, and the need for unity in the party has now become so imperative that the A.L.P. has been compelled to compromise with Mr. Lang. Even Mr. Scullin, who will never forget the treachery of the Langites, which drove him from oflite, feels forced to agree to somo sort of "modus vivendi" which, while it will recognise the Langites as once more included in the Labour movement, will at least give Labour a chance of present' ing a united front to the common enemy. Terms of Agreement. To gain rcadmission to the Labour fold — for they had been formally expelled from the A.L.P.—the Langites were prepared to surrender, at least formally, that "local autonomy" — in other words, the absolute dictatorial power of Mr. Lang —which they hold so dear. One cannot enter into tho elaborately drafted terms by which final atreeiuent was reached. But it comes to this: that the Victorian and New South Wales branches have now patched up their differences and that the Langites, at email sacrifice, arc now formally recognised by most of the A.L.P. and by its nominal leader, Mr. Scullin.

This is indeed an important development. This week there was held at Bathurst the annual country conference of the State Labour party, and Mr. Lang, in addressing his followers, naturally did not fail to lay stress upon the value of this new unity movement. Mr. Lang is very astute and lie evidently did not wish to speak too plainly, contenting himself with emphasising the need for organising resistance to the hated banking interests and concerting a campaign to promote that "socialisation of public finance" which lie now professes to regard as Labour's immediate objective. The "Sydney Morning Herald" was at some pains to point out that Mr. Lang's new plan falls far short of that comprehensive policy of revolution which made Mr. Lang last year, in. Jock Garden's eyes, "greater than Lenin." But in its. anxiety to score a debating point off Lang, it seems' to me that the "Herald" has missed the extreme, significance of this new situation. Many of the leading Langitcs showed that they realised more clearly the importance of the Melbourno "Unity" movement when they said openly at Bathurst that this really means the end of the A.LJP- as led by Mr. Scullin, and that the Federal Labour party will now be merged in the Langite party and completely absorbed by it. But the Langites in their exultation have allowed themselves to be carried a little too far. Looking ahead, they see Langism triumphant, Mr. Lang himself superseding Mr. Scullin,' and Mr. Lang's faithful followers receiving their just reward; and they have' hinted at these things a little too plainly. The result has been a rather brusque rebuff from Melbourne. Evidently with the object of rebuking the Langites, some of the more influential members of tha A.L.P. have gone out of their way to' remind their followers that even though the Langites re-enter Labour's camp, and even if Mr. Lang goes into- the Federal Parliament, this would not mean that Australian Labour is prepared to acknowledge Mr. Lang as its leader. "There may be others'*—for instance, Mr. Beasley, the leader of the Langites in the Federal Lower House, an energetic and capable politician, and, above all, Mr. Forgan Smith, the Queensland Premier, who has ability and courage, and enjoys a degree of respect and confidence from both friends and foes that Mr. Lang will never gain. Meantime, the warning from Melbourno will have served its purpose if it induces the Langites to guard their tongues more carefully in the future.

A.W.TJ. Also Negotiating. ' But for the moment it cannot he denied that the situation has taken a very favourable turn for Mr. Lang. Moreover, there is another conference in progress here just now —the Federal convention of the Australian Workers' Union. The A.W.U., like the A.L.P., separated itself from the State Labour (Langite' party some years ago. But it has been 'negotiating for reunion lately, and, following the lead of the recent Melbourne Conference, it will almost certainly decide to affiliate with the Lang party again. The A.W-U. was once the dominant factor in the Australian Labour movement, and though shorn of its former greatness, its formal adherence to the State Labour party would certainly enhance the power and dignity of Mr. Lang. The outcome of this subsidiary conference is therefore being watched with much interest, and it constitutes one of the many omens now auspicious for the Langites. But tho crisis of this period of transition will not be reached till the, meeting of the Unity Conference here in March.