BITTER STRUGGLE

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 292, 10 December 1936, Page 18

BITTER STRUGGLE

AUSTRALIAN LABOUR.

LANGITES VERSUS "REBELS." FIGHT FOR VACANCIES. (From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, December 4. Two interesting episodes in the -bitter struggle between Lang and his "rebels" are now in progress—the ballot for places on the A.L.P. executive for 1937, and the election of directors to vacancies on the board of the "Labour Daily."

So far as the executive ballot is con--1 cerned, there is now 110 doubt that Lang is in a winning position. Indeed, according to the "Sunday Sun," the Langites are likely to have a 10 to 1 majority on the new executive. The reasons for this success are the superior organisation of the Langites, the complete control of the party machine by the Inner Group, and the unscrupulous methods that they have habitually employed and arc still employing to conserve their position. For example, the land transport group ballot resulted in the return of three "rebel" nominees who defeated the three "machine" candidates nominated in the Langite interest. This was the only victory won so far by the rebels in this ballot and it elated them immensely. Fresh Ballot Ordered. But a protest against the result was at once lodged by the Road Transport Union—a strong Langite organisation— on the ground that the majority had been secured by dual voting and impersonation. The executive ordered a fresh ballot;, but it is a significant fact that when these charges were heard the executive—otherwise the inner group — would not allow any officials of the union concerned to be present, and took evidence from one side only. The executive is trying to explain away the defeat of the Langite machine as due to fraud; but the rebels contend that the ballot was quite fair, that everything was in order, and that the majority against Lang simply indicates the strength that the "rebel" movement has attained even in the Langite strongholds.

The situation in regard to tlie control of the "Labour Daily" is equally interesting and the Langites have already given ample proof that they will stick at nothing to prevent the election of "rebel" directors on the board. Last week the Gas Employees' Union held a meeting which beeamc so stormy and disorderly that many of the "rebel" members left it in disgust. After they had gone—and, according to their account, after the chairman had declared the meeting closed —a motion was carried to secure the support of the meeting for the Langite nominees. Rumour of Legal Action. It is rumoured that legal proceedings are to be taken to upset this decision, but the apparent success of the Langites in this quarter will have some moral effect. The Gas Workers' Union has nearly 3000 shares in the "Labour Daily," and |it is considered to hold <he balance of power between the rival factions, and therefore the "rebels" are certain to make a vigorous protest, against this last "irregularity." But there is little pretence of carrying out these ballots in a fair and impartial way. For instance, thb usual practice at all elections is to place names of candidates on the ballot paper in alphabetical order. The ballot paper used in the election of directors to the "Labour Daily" board departs from this universal rule, and' puts Lang and Beasley, followed by their two nominees, at the head of the list. The fact that the Langite candidates come first, while the "rebels" are all relegated to the lower end of the paper, is',certain to have some psychological effect on voters,' and this is

obviously the purpose of the executive in deviating from the well-established rule of alphabetical order. But the "rebels" are still confident that thej are strong enough to secure the four seats now vacant, and exclude Lang and Beasley from the "Labour Daily" directorate altogether.