THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1922. THE POLITICAL FUTURE OF LABOUR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18676, 4 October 1922, Page 6

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1922. THE POLITICAL FUTURE OF LABOUR.

For some considerable time grave doubts have boon entertained and expressed m circles favourable to Labour regarding the future of “the movement” as officially organised in Australia. In the industrial sphere certain advantages in improved conditions and wages have been secured, —in some cases to the detriment of the industry and in many by wasteful and disastrous strikes which have robbed a generation of the full fruits of victory. A considerable portion of the wage-earners have, however, reaped benefit from constitutional efforts and by the co-operation of their employers. The strange fact remains that many of the industrial leaders have been men of unstable quality and ill-fitted for tho delicate and important task of representing their fellow-men in difficult negotiations. Since the great failure of tho maritime strike, when an English Labour leader incurred displeasure by describing the Australian workers as “an army of lions led by asses,” tho control of the organised industrial classes in Australia has been marked by tho occurrence of a large number of serious errors. The chief interest for the dominion, however consists in the failure of Labour in politics. For a time, when men of moderate opinion were controlling tho Labour Party, its success appeared to he assured, but persons who were profligate in promises either ousted these leaders from office or so undermined their influence as to destroy their prospects nf success. The chairman of the Eight Hour Day Celebration Committee, speaking on Monday last in

Sydney, is reported to have deplored the fact that the workers were fighting a losing battle, and to have said that the faith of the workers in parliamentary action had been badly shaken owing to the apathy of members of the Legislature. It is possible that this statement may have surprised some of our readers who are not closely acquainted with the development of political Labour in Australia. The position is, however, very plain. The “machine” has been used in Australia —as is being attempted in New Zealand—to destroy individuality and initiative in Labour politicians. While paying lip service to democracy the political organisation has been so designed that every aspirant to a place in politics is provided with what in effect is merely a gramophone record of the declarations of the ruling clique. A “corner” or monopoly in Labour politics has taken the place of freedom of thought and speech, and those who have had the temerity to rebel against the tyranny which has been exerted have been able to discover freedom only outside the ranks of official Labour. The result is that tho best brains that the Australian Labour movement possessed have in large measure been driven away from it, and are now found in opposition to official Labour. Those who remain, robbed of initiative or of that independence of mind which is the inherent right ot every man, are little ■ better than marionettes, and they occupy easy and fairly lucrative posts as a reward of obedience. Being what they are, they have lost much of tho virility of mind that was originally theirs.- 1 The net result is that the Labour failure is of a two-fold character. In addition to the failure registered by Labour in the actual business of public administration—and each State in Australia, with the exception of Victoria, significaui the healthiest, in the financial and economic sense, of all the States, has had more than one Labour Government,— it has now failed at its fountain-head. When the inner history of machinemade Labour politics and politicians is made fully known, an extensive “springcleaning” may be anticipated. The outcome of that may be to improve the prospects of the party, but the disappointing experience of the past will not readily be forgotten by those who have suffered it.