RIFT IN LABOUR MOVEMENT

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLII, Issue 20504, 24 August 1936, Page 7

RIFT IN LABOUR MOVEMENT

MANY EXPULSIONS IN AUSTRALIA SEQUEL TO BATTLE FOR CONTROL United Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright (Received August 23, 6.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, August 23. Wholesale expulsions were ordered by a special conference of the Australian Labour Party. Four members of the Legislative Assembly (Messrs Heffron, Lazzarini, Horsington and Davidson) and seventeen leaders of the industrial revolt against Mr Lang, were expelled for attending the Labour Council of the “Black” Conference on August 1. The four members of the Legislative Assembly attended this meeting as “observers.” The expulsions were recommended by a secret investigation committee. Altogether 54 trades union officers and delegates were listed as liable to automatic expulsion, but expulsion was confined only in the case of seventeen. Prior to considering the report of the secret investigation committee, the conference carried resolutions of confidence in Mr Lang and Mr Beasley. The voting for the expulsions was 67 to 24. The investimation committee's findings included the following: “We reached the conclusion that the purposes of the Labour Council “bogus” c* -nference, were: (1) To try to intimidate the State executive and delegates to the Federal Australian Labour Party conference in Adelaide, to facilitate the readmission to the movement of J. S. Garden, without his having to appeal to the annual general conference, in accordance with the rules; (2) To endeavour to organise the disaffected group within the party for such purposes of intimidation; (3) To secure disaffiliation of certain groups in the interests of the Communist Party.” Expulsions of the trades union leaders -nclude representatives of printers and furnishing trades, bricklayers and boot trades, postal workers, boilermakers, engineers, miners and railway workers. On the committee’s recommendation, the conference declined to cancel the affiliation of the 28 unions, which took part in the Labour Council “Black” Conference. These were previously declared by the Australian Labour Party executive as “automatically expelled.”