IS THE DRIFT TOWARDS COMMUNISM?

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2611, 26 July 1923, Page 4

IS THE DRIFT TOWARDS COMMUNISM?

A STUDY IN LABOUR PARTY CONTROL. Mi 1 Phillip Snowden has recently argued that the people could trust the Labour Party to govern because it would always be controlled by the more moderate element in it. Against that it is argued that as a political party “Labour” is not controlled by the heads, or from within. but that the control is often from without and with no established responsibility. This question of where the control is to rest is a very vital one both for those in the ranks of organised labour and for the whole body of citizens. The welfare of the whole British Empire may depend on how this responsibility is placed. In this year’s annual conference of the British Labour Party a motion to admit the Communist Party into affiliation was, on a card vote, rejected by 2,880,000 votes to 366,000. The reason given for this rejection was “that the Constitution of the Communist Party is the direct antithesis of the Labour Party’s constitution. That all in the party do not believe that such “antithesis” exists is shown by the voting. As a contrast to above voting at the recent conference of the New South Wales Labour Party a similar proposal to admit the Communist Party into affiliation was carried on the Chairman’s casting vote, the numbers being 122 for and 122 against. “The Australian Worker” writes at length to explain that the result of this voting is not to admit the Communist Party as a body. It says “in plain language this means that the Communist Party must cease to. exist and that all communists must register, not as members of the Communist Party but as members of the A.L.P.” As a good many communists appear to have already got over that difficulty of registering it probably will be no bar to the reading: “The cultivation of an Australian sentiment and the maintenance of a white Australia” will shut out the communists. If we remember right even members of the A.L.P. have already made little of these nationalist doctrines. The paper concludes in this fashion: “Let it be clearly understood that, as individuals, communists are welcomed Avithin the ranks of the Labour Party. But it must be as clearly understood that the moment they enter the Labour Party they cease to exist as communists.”

Of course it is quite likely that the communists may accept the kindly invitation to come inside and settle the other question from within Avhen they have a majority. What is notable here is that neither the British nor Australian Labour Parties exclude individuals avlio are favourable to communism provided they accept the Party Constitution. Seeing that the communists are instructed from Moscow to enter existing Labour Parties they are most likely to accept any formula to that end. A COMMUNIST’S VIEWS. Mr J. Garden, Secretary of the Sydney Trades and Labour Council, speaking at the Bolshevik Congress at Moscoav in November, 1922, said:

“The Communist Party in Australia ... is able to direct just close on 400,000 workers, that is including 237,000 in the State of New South Wales —all organised workers. It also directs 110,000 organised workers in Brisbane. The Communist Party in Australia is based on the nuclei system. Every union has its nuclei from 20 down to two, and all nuclei leaders must meet once a week . .Wb found that by directing pur energy inside we were able to liquidate the 1.W.W., which was a militant organisation in Australia. The I.W.W. changed their tactics. They came inside with us, and started to operate inside the .craft unions for the formation of industrial unionism, and working within the unions to break down craft barriers and link up their forces in six great industrial departments throughout Australia. The Communist Party, along with leaders of nuclei, formulates that policy. On an ever burning question that affects the working class you will find that the nuclei leaders are the first in the field to give directions to the working class as to how to meet the situation. The Labour Council of New South Wales constitutes 120 unions, yet the Communist Party has full control of the executive. Out of 12 members of the executive, 11 are members of the Communist Party, and they direct these 120 unions and the policy of each union. It will also demonstrate to the workers that the Labour Party cannot bring about any lasting betterment of the workers by legislative action within a capitalistic State. We found that we are able to change the policy of the Labour Party. We changed the objective from nationalisation to socialisation cf industry by revolutionary, political, and industrial action. . . .

The 1922 . Labour Conference endorsed the policy of June, 1921, and went, further. It instructed the Labour Party to throw open its doors for the affiliation of the Communist Party, with freedom for the Communist Party for propaganda and organisation. THE REAL POSITION. • After all, the question of whether the Labour. Parties are drifting towards comnyinism, does not lest on the issue of the affiliation of Communist Parties with them, It is in the programmes and policies that we have to look for the line of movement. The Australian Labour Party'is not the only one which has adopted a Red objective. It can

truthfully be said that the Labour Parties of Britain, Australia, and New Zealand are at present so enamoured of the idea of “Socialisation” by the process of nationalising all land, currency, transport, mining and manufacturing industries that it is difficult to distinguish any real economic distinction between their programme and that of pronounced communists. This is more particularly the case in New Zealand where the party joins with its advocacy of economic nationalisation demands for the control of industries by the working operatives. It is not enough to say that the Labour Party’s policy is the “antithesis” of the communists, % this should be proven. The infusion of communists in the present Labour Parties and the failure of these parties to exclude communist doctrines and individuals from their organisations, is the matter which justifies thinking people in looking upon such parties with suspicion and distrust. (Contributed by the New Zealand Welfare League).