Two Australian Labor Conferences.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 50, 23 February 1912, Page 4

Two Australian Labor Conferences.

Commonwea

FEDERAL LABOR CONFERENCE

The Federal Labor Party's Conference, recently held at Hobart, was most interesting from tho fact that it talsitietl many prophecies as to what would be the outcome of its deliberations. There were not a. few who believed that there would be serious trouble between the militant and moderate sections over various acts of the Federal Ministry and its parliamentary following. Tin's belief was proved to be illfoumled. for the. conference got through its work as a happy family usually gets thwiugh a birthday, party.

There was no grumbling over the federal Party's (rip to the great Corona tion grovel in Loudon. Nothing was said of the (foings of tho Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence at the Imperial Conference, where, as Senator Peareo recently said at Nowra, an agreement was entered into by Britain, Canada, and Australasia li hat each and all would support the Empire with their naval and military systems whenever the necessity arose for emiei rted action.

Tln-re was no aMrin expressed at this pledging of Australia to support the wars of liritish Capitalism, but. iur stead, there appeared to lie a tacit agreement that criticism should be left to the enemy, who, in regard to what was done ;it the Imperial Conference, is prepared to lot well alone.

One of the maxims of military warfan- is that the eiiiiinmnder-in-ehiof of an army should find out what the enemy most wants him not to do, and to set about doing it with all the means and energy at his command. In follow; eg this maxim a general generally

avoitk doing what the enemy wants liini to do, in the hope that he will thus succeed ill frustrating his plans. Our Federal political generals, however, sfvni to have done the very '.liiu-cs which the enemies of the workers want, them to do.

In adopting conscription, and pledging Australian supp.'irt of IJritish Imperialism—vvhich is British Capitalism t! | hrru iso designated- the Australian Er-rlr-ral Ministry has done just what capitalistic imperialists have been wanting done. Deakin. Bruce Smith, Joe Cook and of her imj>crialistic tools aro so satisfied with what has been done that they have refrained from criticism.

Apologists for the compulsory training s\st"in have hitherto stressed the belief' that Australia's naval and niilitarv forces were only lo be used for the' defence of Australia and never for foreign nggrcsiion. bub in view of Sen.iter Poaree's No" ra spcecli, and nis;,< recent uttcrMiters of Mr. Fisher in support, it is clear that we were pb-hreri at the Imperial Conference to support Britain in any war of the future when the warmongers assert that the Empire is in danger.

The same apologists have contended f-hat the forces could never be used to break strikes or quell what the ruling capitalists term revolts; but Senator Pea roc has made it clear that tho forces would be used against what he called the "enemy within" as well as the enemy without. Needless to say, the "enemy within" refers to strikers, but to put "that beyond doubt, be says: "At present, a-s far as 1 know, the only wnv by which the Commonwealth Parliament is able to protect itself or a Stale from domestic violence is by its Defence Force." He cannot legally do it under the Act, the apologias tell us, and they are sorry to say that Mr. Poarce appears not to know his own Act. If that is so, it will br; so much the worse for the Act. Bruce Smith and William McMillan acted illegally during the maritime strike, and were only prevented by Premier I'arkes from hurling tlie military upon the strikers at Circular Quay Sydney, -,it tho last minute. It was illegal for a Slate to .send nn armed force from one. State through another, but the Wade Government sent armed forces to Broken Hill through the States of Victoria and South Australia., and the press aud State Parliaments supported their action. At present the Government of Queensland is raising a mounted force to be sworn in as special constables to operat-e against the Brisbane strike's- Time after time, governments . all countries have, shown- a disposi- ■ •!) to act contrary to their own laws '- ri it suited them to do so, and -c U no reason to snnposc. that a ■o-e Australian Ministry would act ■'•envise. Tinder certain conditions, I "mi it is rt'fo and wb.cn it <ni"s !.hnni ■ Jo so, iho, ruling capitalists treat '-•Is of Parliament and court decisions -! waste paper. \nt.i-niililarisfs have hammered this ■■• into at least, a few Senators and ■'•"rates to the Hobart Conference, - a resolution was carried ir. favor '' so amending the Act a-s to make it '■•'i that the conscript boys cannot be ■i") against their own class. The '■•'oo-ists say this removes the last oh- : cHin to t-bv. scheme, but it doesn't, for '<o amen-"..cut will be tinted with the utio ecv,empt as th« original Act.

Ith and State.

By W.R.W

The Act itself is an abomination, and instead of being amended should be ended. Let the apologists say what they will, tho Defence Act effectually ties the workers' hands from striking, and leads unerringly from military to industrial conscription.