How Labour Governs A Study of Workers' Representation in Australia Childe, Vere Gordon (1892-1957) University of Sydney Library Sydney 1998 http://setis.library.usyd.edu.au/labour The first edition of this work is reproduced here with the kind permission of Institute of Archaeology, University College London. 4th June 1998. The printed copy used belongs to and was kindly made available by Dr. William Peace of Katonah, New York, U.S.A. Source Text: Prepared from the print edition published by The Labour Publishing Company Limited London 1923 All quotation marks retained as data First Published: 1923 Australian Etexts labour history 1910-1939 political history prose nonfiction How Labour Governs A Study of Workers' Representation in Australia London The Labour Publishing Company Limited 1923 Map of Australia and Tasmania: Sketch map showing the principal places referred to in this book. PREFACE In the following study I have attempted to give some account of the political and industrial organisation of the Labour Movement in Australia during the last twenty years. In that period Labour organisation has achieved in Australia a degree of formal perfection and a series of political triumphs which have not been equalled in any other land; the lessons learnt in that period will, I hope, be of value to Labour not only in Australia but in other Anglo-Saxon lands. I have limited the scope of my study by the year 1921, both because from that time Labour passes into a new period of transition, the substantial tendencies of which are still obscure, and because my personal association with a Labour Government, as private secretary to the late John Storey, Premier of N.S.W., would make any revelation of the inner history of that period without a breach of confidence difficult. I have assumed without criticism the hyphothesis that the present organisation of society involves some sort of exploitation and enslavement of the workers, and that the object of a Labour Movement as such must be to bring about such an alteration in social structure as shall end this. This seems to me the essential presupposition of a Labour Party or Trade Union as distinguished from a Radical- Liberal Party or a Friendly Society. But the adoption of this standpoint for expository purposes must not be taken to imply my personal acceptance of the theory in question. On the other hand the results of this book and the sequel, which I hope to publish subsequently on the work of Labour Governments, may be regarded as the most serious criticism of that whole position. V.G.CHILDE. CONTENTS. CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE .. p.xiii. OF MAIN EVENTS INTRODUCTION-- .. .. Economic Development of Australia since 1890. pp.xix.-- xxxii. CHAPTER I.-- ORIGIN AND .. GENERAL STRUCTURE OF THE POLITICAL LABOUR MOVEMENT. .. Defeat of the Maritime Strike showed impotence of workers when the pp.1--12 State machine was at the service of the masters -- Hence Labour Parties formed to control that machine -- Their policy to be determined by Movement as a whole -- Labour to be a third party -- To get concessions the Party must vote solidly, and its members follow decisions of Caucus -- Disunity of first parties warranted intervention of Conference. CHAPTER II.-- THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF CAUCUS CONTROL. .. Labour Member responsible not to constituents onnly, but to Movement as pp.13-- a whole -- Caucus determines details of tactics -- Ministers elected by 21 Caucus -- Inadequacy of Caucus system to control Labour Ministries. CHAPTER III.-- THE CONTROL OF THE POLITICIANS BY THE MOVEMENT. .. Representation on Conference a compensation to local labourites for loss pp.22- of direct control over representative--It frames the policy and controls its 53 execution by Labour Members -- Resistance of the latter -- Revolt of Kidston -- N.S.W. Labour Government long ignores its Platform and Conference -- Eventually obliged by Conference to offer to resign -- The Conscription split -- The expelled Ministers join with Labour's enemies -- Constitutional question thus raised. CHAPTER IV.-- THE POSITION OF THE INDUSTRIALISTS IN THE POLITICAL LABOUR MOVEMENT. .. The Labour Parties, though founded by and for trades unionists, admitted PP.54- other classes to membership -- Contests between the sections -- Failure of 72 Labour Governments to pass industrial legislation leads to the secret organisation of an “industrial section”, which captures and controls Conference -- The section becomes a machine for securing seats for unionists -- Corrupt practices veiled by championship of industrialism. CHAPTER V.-- HETEROGENEITY OF THE ELEMENTS WITHIN THE LABOUR PARTY. .. To secure political power the Labour Party courts the support of middle- pp.73-- class democrats and Australian nationalists, small farmers, prospectors and 86 shopkeepers, the Roman Catholic Church and the Liquor Trade -- Why this was possible -- Evidence for secret alliances with Liquor and other sectional capitalist interests CHAPTER VI.-- THE INDUSTRIAL LABOUR MOVEMENT. .. Foundations of Unionism in Australia -- Special problems to be worked pp.87-- out -- Organisation of bush workers -- Types of Unionism -- Need for co- 98 ordination CHAPTER VII.-- THE CO- ORDINATION OF UNION FORCES BY FEDERATIONS. .. Labour Councils -- Their powers and organisation, their inadequacy -- pp.99-- Plans for an Australian Labour Federation -- Its early successes and 113 ultimate collapse -- Complete failure to co-ordinate the forces of Unionism between the several States -- The plan of 1913 rejected as a scheme to control the industrial wing in the interests of the political CHAPTER VIII.-- THE GROWTH OF THE REACTION AGAINST POLITICALISM. .. Unionists wearied by the slowness of parliamentary methods to yield pp.114-- positive results, and then by the treachery of Labour Ministers, begin to 124 look to direct action for speedier remedies -- Influence of American ideas - - Effects of organising the nomad bush workers -- The great Coal Strike of 1909 and the Coercion Act CHAPTER IX.-- THE AMALGAMATION MOVEMENT. .. The formation of a composite union in Queensland dictated by empiral pp.125-- considerations -- The success of this experiment and spread of American 146 ideas inspires the theory of one all-embracing union instead of a federation -- At the same time the A.L.F. fails in the General Strike of 1912 -- The expansion of the A.W.U. CHAPTER X.-- THE WORK OF THE I.W.W. IN AUSTRALIA. .. Foundation of the I.W.W. in Australia -- Contrast between economic pp.147-- conditions in Australia and America -- Propaganda methods of I.W.W. 172 new to Australia -- Criticisms of political action and arbitration -- Positive philosophy of I.W.W. -- Forgery and incendiarism as weapons in the class war -- The leaders imprisoned and the I.W.W. declared an unlawful association CHAPTER XI.-- THE ONE BIG UNION. .. The I.W.W. originate new movement for closer unionism on industrial pp.173-- lines -- The value of such organisation illustrated by the Coal Strike of 194 1916, and the urgent need for it driven home by the General Strike of 1917 -- Decisions of Trade Union Congresses for an O.B.U. on Trautmann's plan and with a revolutionary preamble CHAPTER XII.-- THE O.B.U. AND THE A.W.U. .. The A.W.U. leaders opposed the O.B.U. as a threat to their positions and to pp.195-- their prospects of political advancement -- The O.B.U. regarded the 210 A.W.U. as structurally unscientific, as reactionary in policy, and as controlled by opportunists and boodlers -- Examination of these contentions -- The character of workers' organisations in Australia summed up LIST OF CHIEF ABBREVIATIONS USED A.M.A. Amalgamated Miners' Assoc. (metalliferous) A.M.I.E.U. Amalgamated Meat Industry Employees' Union. A.R.T.S.A. Amalgamated Railway and Tramway Service Assoc. (N.S.W.) A.S.C.&J. Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners. A.W.A. Amalgamated Workers' Assoc. A.L.F. Australian Labour Federation. A.L.P. Australian Labour Party. A.R.U. Australian Railway Union (formed 1921). A.S.L. Australian Socialist League (1887). A.S.P. Australian Socialist Party. A.S.U. Australian Shearers' Union (later A.W.U.). A.S.W.U. Australian Sugar Workers' Union. A.U.F. Australian Union Federation (1915). A.W.U. Australian Workers' Union. B.H.P. Broken Hill Proprietary Co. C.&S.E.F. Coal and Shale Employees' Fed. (coal miners). C.P.E. Central Political Executive (i.e., the Labour Party Executive of Queensland). C.S.R. Colonial Sugar Refining Co. F.M.E.A. Federated Mining Employees' Assoc. (metalliferous miners). F.E.D.F.A. Federated Engine-Drivers' and Firemen's Assoc. I.W.W. Industrial Workers of the World. M.L.A. Member of the Legislative Assembly (i.e., of the Lower House of a State Parliament). M.L.C. Member of the Legislative Council (i.e., of the Upper House of a State Parliament). M.H.R. Member of the House of Representatives -- the Lower Chamber of the Federal Parliament. O.B.U. One Big Union. P.L.L. Political Labour League (local branch of the Labour Party and the extra-parliamentary organisation of the Party in N.S.W. P.L.C. Political Labour Council (the Executive of the Labour Party in Victoria). P.L.P. Parliamentary Labour Party (i.e., the Labour Members of Parliament). Q.R.U. Queensland Railway Union. Q.S.U. Queensland Shearers' Union. R.W.U. Rural Workers Union (harvesters, etc.). R.W.&G.L.U. Railway Workers' and General Labourers' Union. R.S.S.I.L.A. Returned Soldiers' and Sailors' Imperial League of Australia. S.D.L. Social Democratic League (Socialist). S.L.P. Socialist Labour Party. T.U.C. Trade Union Congress. U.L.U. United Labourers' Union. V.R.U. Victorian Railway Union. V.S.P. Victorian Socialist Party. W.I.U.of A. Workers' Industrial Union of Australia.