N.S.W. LABOUR SPLIT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19029, 1 June 1936, Page 2

N.S.W. LABOUR SPLIT

MR. GARDEN'S EXPULSION "hIUUT TO \ FINISH" U)X<; STRUGGLE LIKELY SYDNEY, May 21. A bitter, protracted struggle to remove .Mr. Lang and his inner group from the control ot tho State Labour Parly, is expected to be the result, of the decision of the Slate A.1..P. executive to expel Mr. I S Harden. M.P., former confidant and adviser of Mr. l'.anp. from the Stale Labour movement. It is now accepted as inevitable at tile Trades Hall thai the expulsion move against Mr. Garden will precipitate a faction light which permits of no compromise, and can only cud ill the political extinction of either Mr. .bang or Mr. Garden. . . The developments were regarded witn the "rentes! alarm in Labour circles yesterday, officials frankly expressing (he view'thai the threatened intensification of the fart ion light would probably remove all hope ot a, Labour success at the next elections. Although -Mr. Harden has been expelled from the Labour Party, he Still remains a member of the Labour Conncil which repiesents most of the active unions of the State, and includes many unions affiliated with the Stale Labour |. U .| V His activities in Ihe industrial .diairs of the Trades Hall will consequent I v remain unaffected by the decision ot the Slate A.L.P. executive. The decision 1,, expel Mr. Garden came ~ j a bombshell, iliul was the sole topic of conversation at. Ihe Trades Hall yesterday. Union secretaries found it hard to realise that an open estrangement had taken place between Mr. bang »»d -Mr. Harden, and thai they were now the principals In a deadly light to a finish. LONG ASSOCIATION 11 vvas recalled for most of Ihe years of Mr Lang's political life, his principal lieutenant al the Trades Hall was Mr. Harden. In Hie long series oj faction (i.diis and expulsions which have marked Mr. Lang's term as leader. Mr. Garden has been ill the forefront, fighting the ha'ttles of his friend. Mr. Garden inarched side by side with Mr. Lang in his street processions, and led the "Lang is Right" demonstrations. One union secretary referred yesterday to the time when tiie relations were so close thai Mi. Garden was provided with a key to the private gate at Parliament House, so that he could get info touch with Mr. Lang, who was then Premier, at any time, night or day. Questions were raised in the House at the time howMr. Garden, who was not then a. member of the House, came into possession of the key. During the memorable fight tor the leadership, when Mr. Lotigihlin opposed Mr Latii' and tied with him for the leadership, Mr. Garden led a band of union secretaries to Parliament House to lend a. vigorous support to Mr. Lang. In the' socialisation fight it was Mr. Garden again who won the day lor Mr. Lang, by convincing the "Red" delegates on'the conference that "Langi was greater than Lenin." in the presence of Mr. Lang, who sat on the platform, and who then took no objection to the statement. Mr Garden was also mainly vespon- j sible for the "Red" rules which gave Mr. Lang complete, control over the Labour Party, and provided political careers for Mr. Beasley, M.P.. Mr. Caves. M.L.C.. and'Mr. J. B. Martin, M.L.C., besides many others who now occupy prominent positions in _ Mr. Lang's faction, and wdio now sit in judgment on Mr. Garden. Because of such old associations, many union loaders were astounded a! the turn of events, and now find themselves in the position of having Jo decide which nl their old friends they will follow. PREPARATIONS FOB- BATTLE Hoth sides yesterday held councils of war and discussed preliminary plans for the forthcoming! battle. -Mr. Garden made a personal round of calls at the Trades Hall, while emissaries of Mr. Lang also spent, much time in conversa.tion'witb 'trades Hall secretaries. The immediate battleground is likely to be the contest for the control of the official organ of the party, which is now regarded as Mr. Lang's mainstay. Strange defections have already taken place ill the ranks of Mr. Lang's supporters in this, direction, (bus rendering necessary the unsuccessful attempt of Mr. Lang at a recent shareholders' meeting to consolidate his position by the issue of an mlditional £20,000 capital. The fight will probably be waged about the election of the directors of the paper at the end of the year. "1 am not going outside tho movement," said Mr. Garden yesterday, commenting upon his expulsion. "1 am going to appeal to the next conference for a reversal of the executive decision. 1 leave (lie issue in the bauds of the movement, fully confident, that the grcal Labour movement of this States wants a resurrection of the party on its democratic basis. The time has passed when individuals take precedence over the welfare of the movement'. The position to-day is that members are afraid to

speak their minds because they would he decapitated, the same as myself. I made it clear that 1 was not concerned about my decapitation as long as the movement was brought, bark to its right basis. Might is not always right.'' Mr. .1. J. Graves, M.L.C.. secretary of the State f/tbour Party, said yesterday that the A.UP. executive, in expelling Mr. Garden had expressed its determination to carry on with its campaign to coordinate all sections of the movement for >•'(■ nt'vi Federal elections. Any den lie. t-ion of duly nn behalf of the. officers of the parly or the party's Parliamentary representatives must he met fearlessly and courageously hv those who had been placed in Vhargi'e, for tin- lirne being, of the Labour movement PADMXfITON LEAGUE

Unsuccessful attempts wen- made at a meeling of the Paddinglon Labour League last night by supporters of Mr. Lang lo have ci rrieil a motion supporting the action of the Slate A.L.I', executive in expelling Mr. J. S. Garden. The motion was moved by ihe Mayor of Paddington. Alderman Whebtn, who spoke stronelv in support of the executive. I'.v 50 votes to seven, however, nn

amendment was carried that (he matter should be deferred until a special meeting of the league nexl week. The amendment was sponsored by Alderman Puree!!, a former Federal Labour Parly man. who recently rejoined (he Stale Labour Party under the unitv term:-;. Mr. Gould; of the Stale A.L.P. executive, was present at the meeting.

Mr. .1. F. Higeins. M.L.C., secretary of I In- Federal Labour group ill the Upper House, said last night (hat the expulsion of Mr. Garden was not likely to further the case of unity or to inspire confidence as to any future toleration with Ihe unitv arrangements. "Every trade union official knows," said Mr'. Higg-ins. "(hat Mr. Garden would nol have been expelled had he been more willing lo support, wholeheartedly, certain changes in the control of slid ion PXV. Obviously, the charges nn which his expulsion was based hud little lo do with the ease, and it is interesting to note that most of Mr. Garden's so-called dreadful utterances of the past, including that in which he declared

Lang is greater than Lenin (which, ol course, is merely absurd), were made long before his selection and endorsement as the Lang candidate for the Cook federal seat. In tho lists of charges ami counter-charges now being made one. is strangely remind,',! of the iputrrcl between two old miners in Bret Ifarte's famous story, in which Scotty says, 'There is one thing Yorkie has not charged me with—for seven years 1 was his partner.' ''