AUSTRALIAN LABOUR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19142, 7 October 1925, Page 14

AUSTRALIAN LABOUR.

DOMESTIC WR ANGLINGS. A SCURRILOUS PAMPHLET. [Fit Oil OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] SYDNEY, Oct. 2. Whenever an election comes into sight the Australian Labour Party seems to have a serious attack of dissension, and intra-party squabbles bring in their train so much washing of dirty linen that would-be (supporters often withhold their support or transfer it to their opponents. This state of affairs has been apparent at election after election, and the officers of the party have to spend much valuable time in effecting peace within the ranks before assaulting the strongholds of the opposite political camp. There is the i famous (or infamous) ballot-box case, when a box with sliding panels was used in a pre-selection ballot, and there were innumerable cases at the State election ' in May. Now, with the Federal election bat six weeks away, the Labour Party, in New South Wales at least, is facing another domestic squabble. A few months ago the party prepared for the coming Senate election by choosing its candidates, each member of a Labour league being entitled to vote. The counting of the votes went on for weeks, and finally the chosen five candidates to bear Labour's banner were announced. The list ' did not contain the name of Senator Gibb, I who had just been elected by the joint ! Houses of the State Parliament to succeed to the seat of a Labour senator who had died. Hints were thrown out of "dirty work" in the pre-election, but the returning officer 1 bore an unimpeachable name and that rase failed to secure any consolation for Senator Gibb, who, as assistant-secretary of the New South Wales branch of the party, was close and dear to the hearts of the State executive. Then a heresy hunt started. At the State election, a sensation was caused by the circulation of a scurrilous pamphlet, printed on blue paper, which reviled certain candidates for the State Legislature, including the Lord Mayor of Sydney, who was a candidate for a country electorate, and certain of tlicir active supporters, including two or three women. At the time the party attributed the authorship of this vile pamphlet to their Nationalist opponents, but now the blame is being apportioned to a member of the party itself. For weeks past the matter has been the subject of investigation by one of the highest officers of the Criminal In- • vestigation Department. This officer's report was first presented to the Chief Secretary, tber.i to the Premier, and in turn was "reviewed by the executive of the Labour Party last Friday night. None of the officer's conclusions pointed to positive collusion, but a series of remarkable incidents were outlined which tended to show that a certain individual had been playing fast and loose with the accepted canons of industrial and political decency. This person was haled before the executive on Sunday last, when, from 3 p.m. until ? p.m., the matter was threshed out. He faced his accuser, but a third person summoned failed to attend, although he forwarded a written statement. At length the executive conceded that the gravamen of the charge had not been substantiated. But more will be heard of the matter, and probably the charges will lead to a public inquiry. *■ The effect of the sqnabble will be a bitter campaign among the Labour Senate candidates for votes. Already one of them I has refused to speak on the same platform as another specified candidate, and as his position is almost impregnable ho can afford to adopt this attitude.