AUSTRALIA'S CALL FOR MEN

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 191, 2 May 1918, Page 6

AUSTRALIA'S CALL FOR MEN

THE RECRUITING CONFERENCE THE WORK REVIEWED Some of the New South Wales delegated to the conference in Melbourne, convened by the Governor-General of the Commonwealth with the object of bringing all political parties together in nn endeavour to stimulate recruiting, were interviewed on their return to Sydney. Though the conference came to no definite decisions the general feeling appears to be that it will produce good results. .. .

A wide review of the proceedings of tho recent recruiting conference in Melbourne, called by the Governor-General, wn.s given by Mr. Holman, the Premier, upon his return to Sydney.after the closing session. "It was impossible," said Mr. Holman, "to leave the conference without considerable disappointment that seven days of such strenuous effort should have! resulted in so meagre a measure of attainment. Forty representative men, drawn from all over the contnient, under conditions "-hich they agreed to describe as of unparalleled emergency, could, after more than a week's continuous discussion, agree on nothing more than tho rather bald and : unsatisfactory resolution with which the conference terminated. This, is, on the face of it, not a satisfying state of affairs. I am not satisfied with it—and I said so before I left tho conference. Nevertheless, I think it would be a profound mistake to regard the conference as a failure. On the <'ontrary, it has achieved much good. "The principal traublcyand I may as well say it at once though I do so in no critical spirit—was fhafc the Labour leaders seemed unable to speak for their organisation*. When it was suggested that these organisations might be opposed to further recruiting the suggestion was indignantly denicd-and -o doubt right-' ly so. But when, on the other hand, it was suggested to the leaders that if their constituent bodies were not hostile to recruiting,, they should clearly recognise the situation and the urgent necessity for recruits, and say so in a -esolution, they all seemed, with one accord, to fight shy of doing anything of the kind, this is much to be regretted. Confused Labour Ideas. "It is more to be regretted, heoauso many of the Labour delegates there, those from West and South Australia, Mr. Emslio, of Victoria, and some of Ihoso from tfow South \\~a\e», *poke q»"° clearly about the profit-situation, ami the recruiting needs arising cut ot it. Evidently opinion i» in a chaotic state in the Labour movement. There is a grave confusion, of ideas as to the duties ol an Australian Labour man at the pre60nt juncture. Whilst, no doubt, ho majority recognise when the questio is put to them, that (heir duly to the l country is the foremost duty, and ak s precedence of their - bligat.ons to heir unions or their party, there are others who do not realise this. Apparently the latter though not m a »;«<»"«>: are, in certain States, in a PW.fo» °J ■ eat official superiority. Thus i would almost look'in Victoria as if men who w'e actually opposed to the socution of the wnr had been placed w n °m U a orit in the Labour execu^ at «* | recent conference. I canno saj that Jim , 8 so, of course. I am only.iudgms bj erta n evidences that were visible at f U o conference. Nevertheless, m spito of this , me difficulty, which, it will be appai-■ fnt was a reaYone at such a conference, | very great progress was made. i "The Labour leaders met the conference with a full and r.ot unfair statonieiu ot ■ a st ring of Labour grievances, which thy , Said were rankling in the mind* f Labour men, and preventing .any cnthu-, S i stic the national can**. . AKnv of these [.rose out of the iecent hike in New South Wales. Others arose . ou o local labour disputes in other | States Others were of a general .character and were directed rather against the Federal Administration. Such htings a= Si or tho part of those who should bVvoTuSteeringV the front, and thus , holding them back. ~ . "Another point became apparent as the conference pWedcd. Lt was widen that wveral of the delegates had a real, leal that Conscription might be again intro,l,ced in the very near future, and they v evidently /raid that anything hey mirht snv as to the reccssity for volun"rfrec/uiting to-day might be: quoted "an admission of the necessity tor commilsory recruiting to-morrow, it this issue were again brought forward. Meeting Difficulties. "This' led to two consequences. On the one hand the Labour delegates demanded a more convincing renunewt on " the idea of conscription than had yel been delivered by any ot the iedcu \lin sters, and on the other baud it added j to heh tendency to shrink from co.n.u. -: ting themselves on the question oi volni>. lary recruiting. This Use o diliicultics waJ accordingly considered at very great, onKth partly in committees outside the coherence, and partly in full cunlcrence, and a corresponding siring, ot proposals to meet each of the diEcuit.es enumerated was presented. "I must say in this connection that ex. traordmary goodwill was shown by the representatives of the Employers led-; cration, who had been invited by the j Governor-General to attend, Thei-e was, hardly any difficulty raised by tho i Sr delegates which these gen lemon did not gladly fgree to meet it onlj , thereby more solid measures ot «o-opei<i- . io„ n. recruiting could be achieved. Mr. lirooks, president of the 1 n,ploye» Federation ol tnis State, and senator Kirn, who represents he same , body In Victoria, exercised their liilln<micc over their colleagues in the most onerous-minded way, and when they came to deal with the more serious I abour claims we found the employers representatives tin:- furemcot m urging that they should he granted. ! "The Government repieseiuatives thus j had the difficulties of their task very i much minimised, and wire cble to oiler j for the consideration •>' touicrene.fi what i must have been rcgardtd by Mr. ludor j and thef other Labour leaders as a very , substantial instalment ol redress of •■rrkvivnces. Uniortun-itely, owing to 1 the dilatory manner in which the bpsi- ! ness of the conference was conducted, and the many absences i.f the Prime Minister and his colleagues at the sittings of Parliament, this stage was not finally re-ached until tho morning of Friday-the very last day lo which, by •my stretch, the attendance of olhcial representatives could be prolonged. Thus the consideration of the m;usure ot co-operation which might fairly bo asked for from eveiy section of the. community had to be compressed into a couple of hours' hasty debate. Naturally under these circumstances, the consequences were not what would have been otherwise possible. Disappointing Resolution. "The conference wound up after curryj in" a unanimous but rather formal and disappointing resolution. In spito ot this 1 am 'satisfied that conferences labours have not boon in vain- In the first plnco tho actual situation has been brought under the notice of I he Labour leaders. Its gravity i os been acknowledged by them. Many misrepresentations and errors have been i.lenred away, ft was pointed out in this conferencf. for example, that the actual c.ispatch ot I troops from Australia amounted to 6} i per cet® of her population, as against II p"r wnf. who hud ioinod the colours I in Great Britain, and 16 per cent, in ; France. This holpul to kill the sug- ' gestion which had been current in Labour circles. Similarly, the actual nature of I the state of things now being mot in Europe, and it* military consequences. j were forcibly pointed out by Federal | Ministers, and recognised in all their I seriousness by tho T-abonr leaders j There was, too, a continulne and mo?f gratifying expression on tho part of labour leader* of their individual readiness to undertake any necessary responsibility to maintain the number of the forces" at the front intact." The Labour View. Senator Gardiner, who attended the conference as leader of the Labour Party

in tho Senate, 6aid that in offering a few remarks ho hoped that ho would not in any way divulgo anything that could bo considered confidential. "It is only natural," ho continued, "that (here should bo a great difference of opinion between Mr. Holman and myself, lie is not altogether satisfied with (he resolutions arrived at, and lie voices the opinion that the principal trouble was that the Labour lenders were unable to speak for their organisations. When we remember that those invited to the conference had not been given a hint as to what resolution they would bo asked to support, 1 see nothing strange that the Labour representatives should be careful what resolutions they supported. There is absolutely no confusion of ideas, as Mr. Iloiman suggests, as to the duties of an Australian Labour man at the present juncture. Here Mr. Holman fails to interpret Labour thought, not only to-day, but since tho war commenced. "Labour's attitude towards the war has been expressed in the men who have enlisted. Mr. Holman himself stated m America that two out of every three men who, enlisted from Australia were unionists. I. believe that to he true. It thus cannot lie pretended that Labour is not whole-heartedly in the struggle. "We have/ only to remember that for two years a Labour Government conducted Australia's part with an energy and ability that has been sadly missing since. In two years that Labour Government enlisted and sent oversea over 266,000 men without protest from the unions or Inbour organisations; and if there was a Labour Government in power to-day tho same course would be followed with th e consent and approval of the unions. Not Grievances, But Proposals. "Mr. Holman, quite unintentionally, of course, creates a wrong impression, added Senator Gardiner, "when he says hint 'the labour leaders met the conference with a full and not unfair statement of a string of labour grievances. The fact is that we met the conference as separate individuals, who had been invited to consider tho question of recruiting. When the conference opened with an excellent address from the Gov-ernor-General, we found ourselves without leadership and without any proposal" to discuss. (This may have been due to the unfortunate illness of the Prime Minister.) The resolution of His Lxcelk'licy could have been passed unanimously and without discussion. There was nothing in it anyone could object to. After His Excellency left the chair speeches were made which led to a demand from Mr. Holman and his friends to tho Labour representatives to place definito proposals before the conference. This wo "did on the second sitting day, not as grievances wo desired to be removed before Labour would participate •in recruiting, but as grievances that were the cause of discord where harmony should prevail, and wo urged the Federal and State Governments to remove tho obstacles to unanimity and bring all closer together in this grave emergency. The result of the conference will he tound, not in the resolution carried, but in the fact that the discussion between employers and unionists has gone a long way to bridge the chasm of dissatisfaction and discontent, and bring about harmony'at the present time." Mr. Storey, leader of the State Labour Party, also expressed the opinion that the conference was not a failure. "All the political Labour loaders who attended," he said, "are willing to do anything in the direction of platform work' to further recruiting. The representatives of the trades organisations obviously have to go back and consult their organisations and obtain their co-opera-tion before anything of an effective character in that respect can bo achieved. It would not be fair—even if it were possible—for delegates to commit their organisations before having informed them of what had taken place. Doubtless, after the position has been put fairly to the organisations some good will come "Generally,' it may be said that the conference went n long way towards removing many objections which were believed to be standing in the way of successful recruiting." Mr. Storev added (hat it was not quite fair of Mr. Holman to say that the Labour leaders were afraid lo speak. As a matler of fact they spoke very freely, as the official report would show.