~IUIIIIIIIIIIIJIIIIIliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIUUI111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111lllllllll~ :.!ltlllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!.: ALSO BY JOHN BURTON The • HThe Alternative" Light (A dynamic approach to our relations witn Asia) I • Glows This book dea ls with some of the basic a nd underlying causes of present E ast-West conflict, and makes some positive proposals. Recent events have added to its a uthority a nd its value. The Anglican "Board of Missions" says: "It is no exaggeration to say that this is a book every thoughtful Brighter Australian should read. It is certainly the most important book published in Australia for a long time, and, even though there m ay be points of strong disagreement, every Australian sh culd m ake it a by solemn duty to read it critically and thoughtfully - incidentally, it is ·easy to read . JOHN BURTON "Dr. Burton does little to conceal his admiration for the Chifiey Government's handling of external affairs, and to that extent perhaps betrays a certain poiitical bias; nevertheless, the book is so reasonable with a Foreword by and convincing that no one should fail to read it." I Mr. F. E. CHAMBERLAIN, Federa l President, Australian La bor Party 5/ 6 (Cloth) 116 Pages 3/ 6 (Paper Cover) and an Introduction by The Rt. Hon. H. V. EVATT, ~ • FM"al Pa<ll=•nta<y U ad" of th• Au , t'&li~ Labo< Pa<ty ~ MORGAN'S PUBLICATIONS 8 Castlereagh Street ~ I Sydn•Y Morgan's Publications ; I 8 Castleragh Street, ~ 2/ each Sydney I ~lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll'llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllltlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllolllllg ?,l l llllllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllltlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll~ The Light Glows Brighter ·by JOHN BURTON ~llllllllllllllll l llllllllllllllllllll l ll l lll lll lllllill lllll t iiiii/IIU IIIJ III III II IJIIIIIIIIIIIIII I IIIIII IIIIIIII III I'l l lllll lllllll lllllll llll l lll l ll l llll lllllll l llllll l tl ll lll l ll l ltlt l l l t lll lllllllllllll : ; From "The Light on the Hill" I Ben Chifley's fina.I message to the Australian Labor Movelll.ent June, 1951 "I say to you that I have always believed that the M ovement has to make up its mind what is the right thing to do and, no matter what the daily press says or any section of the community might say, we must go on fighting. I hope the spirit which animated the people who began the Labor Movement goes on today. We have a very great responsibility to more than half the people of Australia, despite the slander and culumnies of the press against the party and individuals in the party . I can only hope that the sincerity which you have shown over the years in victory and defeat won't be lost; that you will be inspired by the same things which inspired the pioneers of this M ovement, and that you will not be frightened and made to get over to the 'right' because of the whispered word 'Communist.' I co•Jid not be called a ~ young . radical' but if I think a thing is worth fighting for, no matter what the penalty is, I will fight for the ·right, and truth and justice will always prevail." ~IIIIIIIIIIUIII1111111ltlllllllii iJIIII I II IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIHII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII I IIII III11111111111JIIII/IIIIIIIill llllllll l l l llllll l llll l ll l ll lllllllllllll llllh~ Registered a t G.P.O., Sydney, for tra nsmission by post as a book. 1 Foreword by F. E. CHAM·BERLAIN Federal President, Australian Labor Party CONTENTS W e are· living in a dangerous world. A world made more Page dangerous because people are prone to have their mental attitudes Foreword by F. E. Chamberlain . 3 conditioned by the propaganda of the daily press. Introduction by Rt. Hon. H. V. Evatt 5 Now, more than ever, an objective approach to the policies of the Labor Party on the fundamental issues confronting the 1. Change can be for the good . people, is required. 2. Conservative Governments resist change Dr. Burton in this booklet provides material that should stimulate 3. Freedoms are endangered thought and provoke discussion. 4. A new approach needs new governments 11. It has been given a worthy title - "The Light G lows Brighter". 5. Democratic Socialism 12 The Light that was seen so clearly through the fogs of political 6. The fear of Socialism 1& bitterness and intrigues by Labor's great leader, Ben Chifley. 7. Communism and Socialism .. T he great changes taking place m the world today call for 8. Labor's Hobart decisions 17 re-orientation of economic thought. 9. Labor's domestic policy 21 T he challenge of automation on an ever growing scale can only successively be met by determined policies on the part of 10. Making the best use of resources 22 governments pledged to the principle of democratic socialism. 11. Improved distribution of national production 25 Irrational opposition to change on the part of those who feel 12. Cultural development 27 through sheer self interest - that human society as at present constituted is immutable, will more than any other factor assist 13. Freedom of asscciation and expression 27 the philosophy of Communism. 14. Labor deserves support 28 A s the barons of old failed to see the growth of capitalism below the very walls of their castles, so do the advocates of " no change" fa il to read the signs of today. In all parts of the W orld evidence is not lacking to indicate that the affairs of mankind are fast approaching an acute stage in the period of transition through which we have been passing since the close of the first W orld War. 2 3 THE LIGHT GLOWS BRIGHTER THE LIGHT GLOWS BRIGHTER As society moved from feudalism to capitalism, so will it Introduction by the Rt. Hon. H. V. Evatt :move from capitalism to some other form. I fully endorse Mr. Chamberlain's foreword. Dr. Burton's, Whether it takes on the orderly constitutional processes of analysis of the present political trends and policies is designed to democratic socialism, thus ensuring for itself the benefits flmving suggest positive action in the solution of many of Australia's ac ute from man's scientific ingenuity- or whether it becomes embroiled external and internal problems. in revolution from which only Communism stands to gain - is His analysis should be of practical assistance to the thinking of a question still in the balance. the rank and fil e of political and industrial Labor. It shows how freedoms of all kinds are being threatened by attempts to protect the This could be a useful booklet. It is written in the Labor economic system against the consequences of socialist thinking, and of tradition, though it does not purport to state Labor policy. I growing demands for economic and social justice. ·Commend it to members of the Labor M ovement as a basis for discussion. I commend it also to all those to whom the author John Burton has already made contributions of value to the· .finally appeals ~ those at present outside the Labor Movement, and defence of basic freedoms in Australia. He resisted the onset of -who are interested in the political life of the community. McCarthyism and helped to beat it back. Like many others he underwent and surmounted the "ordeal of slander" which is the F. E. CHAMBERLAIN, very essence of McCarthyism. He took a leading part in the culti ~ Federal President, vation of true friendship of Australia with the new nations of Asia,. Australian Labor Party. including India, China, Indonesia and Ceylon. The battle for freedom of expression is never finally won. It has: to be fought for again and again. In Australia today the right of freedom of expression (including academic freedom), is often denied, not by open legal repression or legal sanctions, but by a system of organised secret collecting and recording of non-conformist or "danger ~ ous" opinion, and a cunning misuse of these records. Evidence as to the existence of this system is clear and cogent. It was illustrated. for instance, at the Political Science School at Canberra in January, 1955. The system is a special threat not only to the Labor Movement and to radical thought, but to all Universities, the Churches, the professions, the trade unions, the press and the broadcasting organi­ sations, and even to business concerns. In fi ghting on these fronts John ·Burton is in a real sense follow­ ing the illustrious example of·his father, the Rev. Dr. John W. Burton, M.A., distinguished leader of Methodist pioneering in the missionary work of the Pacific, and a valiant fighter for liberty for Christian ideals within, and without Australia. H. V. EVATT, Federal Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Labor Party. · 5 THE LIGHT GLOWS BRIGHTER THE LIGH'r GLOWS BRIGHTER T he absence in Canada and the U.S.A . of strong trade unionism w ~ t h 1. Change Can be for the Good t he opportunity of political expression leaves these countries at the A CHANGING WORLD moment without any immediate threat to privilege. The present is a time of extraordinary world change. T here .are demands for independence in colonies, there are internal "'CO-OPERATION'' ADVOCATED Imitating conditions in U.S.A., conservative and privileged uprisings in backward countries against landlordism, there are sections within the .nations of Australia, Britain and N ew Zealand tremendous technical and engineering achievements in the fields a dvocate "co-operation". W orkers are expected to "co-open te" -of war-weapons and power and transport, there seem to be signi£.­ by accepting less than cost-of-llving adjustments to their wages, ·cant political changes in communist countries in the direction of by working harder and if necessary for longer hours to maintct in greater freedom of expression.