The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-12
LABOR ELEMENT IS NOW
 VERY MUCH DIVIDED
Schism Came When Govern ment Wanted to Intro duce Conscription in
 DOminiOns

Melbourne, Australia, January 10.-(Cor- respondence of the Associated Press.) The cleavage in the rankse of labor over the recent conscription issue has become exceedingly bitter. An interstate confer ence of political leaders of the labor party, held here, has gone on record af- most unanimously in condemnation of the Australian premier, William M. Hughes, and expelled him as leader of the Labor party, because he failed to respond to the mandate of the state councils Of the party in opposition to conscription. Representatives from every state except West Australia. which wa < one Of the three states where MT. Huenes conscription proposal received a laVorapie vote in the referendum last october, joined in the attack of MT. Hughes, and In the following resolution expelled him and his followers from the Australian labor movement.
 IL was resolved, that as compulsory overseas military service is opposed to the principles embodied in the Australian labor party's platform all federal mem- pers that is, members of the Co,n- monWealth Parliamen) who have SUD- ported compulsory overseas military serVlce, or who have left the Parliamen- tary Labor party and formed another pohtlcai party are hereby expelled iron, the Australian labor movement" It was decided to send copy of this resolution to the leader of the Labor party in Great Britain
 | Other. resolutions wbiot, ,,,a~o were:
 That any proposals for an imperial federation involving the slightest sur render of Australias self governing powers in return for voice in the en- pire's foreign policy would be disastrous to Australian ideals and should not there fore be entertained And
 That this conference emphatically pro tests against the interruptions attempts made during the recent conscription cam paign by MT. W. M. Hughes and other conscriptionists to associate the labor party with methods and members of the Industrial Workers of the World MT. Hughes was asked his opinion of the actions of the conference. He would say little. but remarked: "By their acts the 1unta have written their own epi- taph."
 On the invitation of Robert Harris of
 
 labor party in Australia" inasmuch as 26 yeas ago he moved a historic resolu- tfon in favor of the formation of "po- litical labor leagues throughout the country, about 100 men and women de- cided at a meeting in Sydney last month to form an organization to be known las the Australian National Democra tic League" MT. Harris said in an inter- view prior to this meeting that there is hpf in, 1o while a powerful effort will be made to re-esta blish the labor movement on free and democratic basis-to lead it back to the good old lines which it has for saken.' The league affirmed as it's first principle sharing in "al efforts on the part of the commonwealth government to carry out its part in bringing the war to successful termination
 The Political Labor league of New South Wholesome of the most powerful politically organized iaborite bodies in Australia, with headquarters in sydney has announced it's refusal to ally itself with the state recruiting committee, which is a part of the scheme devised by the new director general of recruit ing, Donald Mackinnon, to increase the Australian forces at the front by vol : untaryism. The executives of the league said they viewed with grave concern the
 
 ments and of the employers associa. tions in closing down public works and private enterprises, thus throwing thou sands of men out of employment, stimuli taneously with the launching of the re . cruiting campaign. It was suspected. they said, that a concerted movement had been set on foot to force the people into position where enlistment would be the only alternative to starvation. Av le vrtE. xy At1t tiHYrC h tr.fr duced by MT. Hughes in Parliament, has been enacted into law by that body. During the debate the measure in the House of Representatives Mir. Hughes admitted that it was mainly aimed at the Industrial Workers of the
 World. whose propaganda had made some progress in Australia. The prime minister said: Broadly speaking, the po- sition is that this organization has de- clared war upon the people of Australia. It is not too much to say that these men are not socialists, but anarchists. I myself have been socialist all my life, but this is not my method. It re- fuses to recognize that the welfare of the state is to be the supreme law. It does not believe in nationality A large number of those controlling the Indus trial Workers of the World are foreign CTS, the scourngs of Europe and 4lmer- ica. Some have been driven out of America, having a criminal record which prevented their return to that country.v Frank Tudor, the leader of the section # the labor party opposed [" the Hughes section, said that he was ops posed to everything advocated by the Industrial Workers of the World, but at the same time he regarded the un- lawful associations bill as an attempt to trap the labor party. He felt sure that the bill If 1t became law would be used against trades unions as well as against the Industrial Workers of the World. and the bill was a political placard.' Another anti-conscriptionist representa- tive, a follower of MT. Tudor. described | the bill as "a bit of political flypaper. '' Nevertheless the bill passed both houses. even the Senate. where the anti Hughes forcas a re slightly in preponder-