LABOUR DISUNITY

Evening Post, Issue 29, 3 August 1936, Page 9

LABOUR DISUNITY

MR. GARDEN'S EXPULSION

READMISSION DEMANDED

SYDNEY, August 2.

Delegates from 33 unions, represent ing 130,000. rank and file members who are in rebellion against the present State Labour executive, which expelled Mr. J. S. Garden, M.P., attended a conference at the Trades Hall yesterday, when a resolution was carried congratulating Mr. Garden on his

fight and demanding his readmission to the party. :

The conference constituted a challenge to the State executive's threat that all who attended would automatically be expelled. Four members of Parliament elected to take that risk and sat on the platform.

Mr. Garden stated his case with the utmost outspokenness and told the conference that Mr. Lang's leadership had developed into a Fascist oligarchy. Several speakers defended Mr. Garden and severely criticised the tactics of the "Labour Daily" newspaper, after which the conference decided to demand a special committee of inquiry, under the chairmanship of the Federal Labour leader, Mr. J. Curtin, into the reasons for the New South Wales disunity.

By 19 votes to 4, Mr. J. S. Garden, M.P., was expelled from the Labour Party at a meeting of the New South Wales executive of the Australian Labour Party on May 18. Mr. Garden appeared before the executive to explain charges of alleged disloyalty made by him at a meeting of /the Labour Council in March last. In his defence Mr. Garden repeated many of his allegations but admitted that certain other charges he had made were capable of qualification. The executive held that Mr. Garden had failed to substantiate his charges against the president, Mr. P. J. Keller, and the organising secretary, Mr. J. B. Martin, and that the charges were disruptive and likely to impair the unity of the party. One aspect of the case, which was essentially a struggle between Mr. Garden and Mr. J. T. Lang, was the fight for control of the radio station 2KY, which had been under the direction of Mr. Garden. Another issue was the conduct of Mr. Garden at the Labour gathering at Melbourne when the unity conference was meeting there. He was alleged to have been acting as an agent for Mr. E. G. Theodore.