LABOUR DISUNITY

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 108, 10 May 1933, Page 9

LABOUR DISUNITY

LENIN ANJ) LANG

UNFORTUNATE REFERENCE

(From "The Post's" Representative.) SYDNEY, April 20. Various ' moves—-some* courageous, some cunning, some pearcely worthy o£ sportsmen—on the New South Wales Labour chess board have failed to clear the atmosphere, and the party is still in'confusion. At the Easter conference of the State Party—it ended very abruptly, and was one of the shortest on record—there seemed to be some hope of unity with the ruling faction and the socialisation group, but these havo faded. The straight-out Socialists will'hold their own conference next Saturday, and as they have the support of the strong miners' group, there is a possibility of a further breakaway, which the Trades Hall faction has been bo anxious to avoid.. ■ I It is noteworthy that the Easter conference left intact the dictatorial powers which were given to Mr. J. T. Lang a long time ago. The decisions of the metropolitan conference last February, pledging loyalty to Mr. Lang to long as he carried out a policy of immediate socialisation, without limitations, were rejected in favour of an unqualified acceptance of Mr. Lang's policy for unification and the socialisation of credit only as a fir^t step. Tho extreme policy of the powerful socialisation section would 'undoubtedly cause embarrassment tp Mi. Lang with hia plans for restoring unity with the Federal Labour Party, and replacing Mr. Scullin. as tho Federal leader. 'Alderman J. S. Garden's comparison of Mr. Lang with Lenin has caused great uneasiness in Labour ranks, for if there is anything that Labour desires to avoid it is a reference to tho Soviet. I Alderman Garden went so far as to cay that Mr. Lang was "greater than Lenin," and it was after that remark that the prospect of a union with the Socialists seemed to be so bright. The effect of such a pronouncement on the electors was at once realised, and Mr. Lang was called hurriedly to the conference to state the case of the socalled moderates. Very wisely he completely ignored Alderman Garden's reference to himself, and no doubt he joins with others in wishing that it will be forgotten. It will be a strong argument to be used againßt the Labour Party at the next election. It'will never be forgotten. What hopes there might have been for unity between the Federal and the State Labour Parties dwindled somewhat with the publication of the agenda for the Federal Party's conferenco in Sydney this month. Those members of tho State Party who were responsible for tho defeat of the Seullin Labour Government in the Federal Parliament arc- still activo in tho movement, and a demand is now being made for their expulsion. Such demands cannot be regarded in the light of an olive /branch. Moreover, Alderman Garden's statement that the State policy was a Soviet policy makes it fairly definite that Mr. Scullin will refuse so much as to discuss unity. Mr. Scullin is wise enough to know that the electors of Australia as a whole would have nothing to do with Sovietism. On top of all this there is the point that Mr. Lang will not bo satisfied with any unity plan that docs not .provide for himself as leader. As yet there is no indication that My. Scuflin is anxious to play second fiddle to Mr. Lang. ■ , The whole Labour position appears to be more or less hopeless, and perhaps it is just as well. Australia may be freed of the danger of extreme .legislation for Some time to come. There is a chance that eren New South ■Wales will escape this terror.