UNITY PROPOSALS

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 76, 31 March 1934, Page 10

UNITY PROPOSALS

AUSTRALIAN LABOUR

FAILURE OF CONFERENCE

■ :(F,rom "The Post's" Representative.) ; SYDNEY; March 15. The Labour Unity. Conference has ended and the kind of deadlock which occurred was the sort that can be expected when an irresistible force meets an immovable body. Af; no timo during the proceedings, which. lasted for nearly a. week, was there any sign of give* and take. That -the conference should have been so disastrous from Labour's point of view was not on account of any lack of effort. Those who are genuinely anxious to secure unity within:' the party left no stone unturned, but they were forced to the conclusion^ that they were working in vain. In. the* end the Lang Party in New South Wales showed its hand, and demanded a unity conference which would exclude the delegates from the Federal Labour Party in New South Wales. Although a sub-committee has been ap-; pointed to further explore the possibilities, it seems certain that unity will never be achieved while the present leaders are in control.

The conference was'held at the instigation of the Victorian branch of tho Federal Labour Party, but as matters [ went it became more and more apparent .that the proposals put .fo.rward -were 1 Lang proposals, purely and simply. If the plan had been agreed to, <Mr. Lang and his followers would have had a free hand to deal with their enemies in New South Wales. They would have sigued the political death warrant of all the Labour men in New South Wales who had had the temerity to'oppose Mr. Lang. The Lang Party announced, even at a time when the position appeared to be hopeless, that it was not prepared to reinstate to either party any persons, recently expelled from the party, and that the admission of other parties should be a matter for tlio consideration of the Unity Conference. In short, the Lang Party was so uncompromising that the conference i>rokc down. •

It is a fact that the Federal Labour Party in New South Wales is no longer a political force, but with Mr. Scullin, the Federal leader, it was not a question of voting strength, but of principle. So far as Mr. Lang was concerned the obliteration of the New-South Wales branch of the Federal, Party was not merely a matter of revenge, but of political life and death. Even if 'personal differences could have been set aside, the contending factions are poles apart in other directions, and. it is clear that there could be no fusion between such opposites. The Lang Party' stands for extreme policies which Labour moderates will never swallow—notably the socialisation of credit.

It is significant* that the Lang journal in Sydney has done its best to antagonise* those who have- fought Mr. Lang. This sort of thing- did not augur well for the success of the .conference, and if it was meant to. make failure certain then it certainly achieved its purpose. Old sores were reopened, and it was in such an atmosphere that the conference proceeded on its hopeless way. If Mr. Lang had any desire to assume the- Federal leadership of the party he did not show it, buC-JStr. Lang is noted for his .cunning. His role is always that of the strong silent man, but with him silence does not mean inaction. .

Keen observers say that the failure of the Sydney conference will keep Labour out of power, as far as. the Federal Government is concerned, for at least another three years. They predict that the return, of the United Party, under Mr. Lyons, is now. assured, even though ho will not have such a large majority as at present. In view of the attitude of the United Country Party, which has been displaying a little hostility to Mr. Lyons, Labour rivalry is bound to provohelpful to the United Party. There arc many people who will say: If faction fights keep Mr. Lang out of Federal politics, then let the faction fights go on for ever.