LABOUR SPLITS IN AUSTRALIA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17710, 3 December 1925, Page 7

LABOUR SPLITS IN AUSTRALIA.

UNIONS MOVE TO CAIN CONTROL OF PARTY. Another storm is brewing in Slew South Wales Labour circles. Moderate Labour is blaming the extremist element for the defeat in the Federal elections, while the extremists are equally emphatic that the moderates, by their apathy, played into the hands of the Nationalists. By Telegraph.—Pro«.p Assn.—Copyright. Aus. and N.Z.. Cable Association. (Received December 3. 10.45 a.m.) SYDNEY, December 3. A movement is afoot to reconstruct the Australian Labour Party. A large number of Union leaders are launching a campaign in favour of the Selection by unions of all Parliamentary candidates.

After consistently denying during the election campaign that there was anything " red ” about Labour, the campaign director of the Labour Party, who is also senior vice-president of the A.L.P. ('Mr James Tyrrell), has announced, says a recent issue of the Sydney “ Sun," that at the next meeting of the State executive he will move:— ‘ That the A.L.P. refuse affiliation to any union which is linked up with the Sydney Trades and Labour Council and that bodies connected with the Trades and Labour Council be disallowed representation in any connection with the A.L.P. meetings or conferences, while the Sydney Labour Council remains affiliated with the Third Internationale.”

There are nearly 70 unions affiliated with the Labour Council, and the council is numerically stronger,at. the present time than it has ever been before. Included among the affiliated unions are the Australian Workers’ Union, the strongest union in Australia; the Australian Railways Union, the Seamen, the Waterside Workers, the Electrical Trades, the Printing Trades, and the Australian Engineers. The Municipal Employees’ Union, of which Mr Tyrrell is secretary, withdrew during the year. For a long time, the Labour Council and the A.L.P. have been at loggerheads. and the secretary of the former (Mr Garden) in his last annual report said, that “ the broad masses are discontented with the reactionary Labour Party leadership." During last week he went further, and said that the party was alive with intrigue and graft and corruption.

Mr Tyrrell's motion is really an attack upon Mr Garden and the executive of the Labour Council. Ever since the State elections, the A.L.P. has been talking of cleaning-up the council, but, so far, the industrial organisation has defied the political body. Should the executive endorse Mr Tyrrell's njotion there will probably be a big split in Labour ranks. The coming struggle will test the vaunted strength of the Labour Council. STATE CABINET BREACH. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. Aus. aiul N.Z. Cable Association. (Received December 3. 11 a.m.) SYDNEY, December 3. The breach in the State Cabinet is widening. A section of the labour supporters is now accusing a prominent member of the party with having fabricated the story of a bribery plot wit/! the object of. damaging a certain Minister and several members of the rank and file in the eyes of the Labour movement. The cleavage will probably lead to a reorganisation of the Ministry. A meeting of caucus convened for tonight will attempt to ascertain details of the alleged bribery plot. TO EVICT COMMUNISTS. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright Aus. and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received December 3, 1.1 a.m.) BRJ SB AN E, December 3. By thirty-nine votes to twenty-eight, the Brisbane Trades and Labour Council decided to evict Communists from the Trades Hall.