N.S.W. POLITICS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 111, 13 May 1939, Page 14

N.S.W. POLITICS

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —As the prospects of an early election loom up in New South Wales so does interest centre around Mr. J. T. Lang, and he is once again supposed to be nearing the end of his political career. According to your Sydney representative, for the past seven years Mr. Lang has been kept' in his position artificially. Let us sea how far that statement will bear investigation. For years past he has been re-elected leader of the party unop-. posed, but owing to the powerful and persistent propaganda of the whole' of the newspaper Press riot only in New' South Wales but also in New Zealand including, I say it with bowed head, our own labour newspaper, the' "Standard," it' lias had the intended1 effect on many of .the labour organisa-1 tions, and so persistent a demand was' made by the Northern Miners' Federa-; tion for a special conference to settle the matter of leadership that a con-' ference was'arranged last October and; on the widest possible democratic basis,: delegates being sent from every union' and party branch in the State. :

The question of leadership was discussed from all angles, and it was de-J cided by the overwhelming majority of 521 votes to 41 that the leader 6t the party should be elected by the annual conference and not by caucus. Again, only last month at the annual Easter conference the same decision was arrived at by such a majority that even a show of hands was not called for. Prior to the Easter conference nominations were invited for every official position including the leadership, and it was open to any member to propose either, himself or anybody else for the leadership, but Mr. Lang's nomination was the only one received. There is never even the name of any possible successor mentioned.

With regard to the reported revolt by caudus it was made clear by the majority of the members that Mr. Lang's leadership was not in question, and Mr. Baddeley in particular was most emphatic on that;point, but one of the members stated that he had been told by the officers of one of the unions that if he threw in his lot with the Heffron Group he could not be opposed at the next State elections, and that no doubt explains the position of many of the others as, they can . see plainly the' likelihood of. defeat on ,a split Labour vote, which has been demonstrated at two recent by-elec-tions when the U.A.P. vote was also split, Bo.th .of these constituencies were Government strongholds, but there was also a third by-election in a Labour stronghold,- Balmain, in which the [official Labour candidate polled an absolute majority over the. other, three candidates but that'result, strange to i say, was not flashed across by cable as were the others. The State Labour Party welcomes the prospect of a complete, unity, with the total exclusion of the Communist element, but they have a natural fear: that the dice will be loaded against them in the selection of delegates by the Federal Party. In conclusion," I may claim competence to state the case for the State Labour Party as ever since the outrageous conduct, of .the. .now. "defunct New Guard at the ceremony, of opening the Harbour Bridge I have subscribed regularly to the Labour Press and have watched closely . every, .move in" the .game, and being an Aussie myself, and above all a lover of fair play, that gives me ah additional interest. * I sincerely trust you will -see your way? to publish thi» statement. —I am, etc.. , T. L.. BARKER,'. Lower. Butt. ; 1..,' '