The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-08-28
By HARRISON GEORGE
Continued

The past two years have begun,
though by no means finished, an en-
tlrely new orientation in the Aus
tralian labor movement. Here, the
trade unions were nursed and
toddlcd into adolescence on the pabu-
lum Of reformism, with all its highly
trustful attitude toward parliament,
arbitration courts, Registered
unions and a whole system of lagal-
istic flub-dubbery which sad dis
illusion has shown to be but leg
irons on the workers when, with
Australian economy reflecting to
some degree the whole crisis of
British Imperialism, the employers
began an offensive on all fronts
against the hitherto prevailing la
Dor standards.
This offensive, meeting resistance,
strove to disguise itself as "indus-
trial peace" after the Mond pattern,
and to get the trade unions to agree
not to resist the offensive but Off
cially help it along, to capitulate.
This was defeated after a short but
sharp fight between the militants
and the reformists within the I'M
ions, since the very crudeness of the
bosses deprived the reformists of
arguments behind which to conceal
surrender. The militants also de
feated the bitter reformist attempts
to break the Australian unions away
from the P. P. T. U. S., an assault
carried on in the name of "White
Australianism" and revealing a
strain of race prejudice quite in
compatible with the aims of the
working class.
The very facts of changing condi-
tions would have compelled a con-
flict to arise between cleft" and
right" over policy in meeting the
capitalist attack, but a great work
of clarification has been done by the
"Pan-Pacific Worker" which ex-
presses P. P. T. U. S. policies, in
breaking the Gripping theological
isolation and bringing forward Aus
tralian problems. IS q part of the
world problems of labor, insoluble
by any section alone.
In the Soviet Union.
In the Soviet Union, too, enor-
nous changes have taken place in
the last two years. With the ad-
vance of Soviet economy, quite diff
ferent than in capitalist countries,
the workers standards have adj
vanced, the most notable gain
being the establishment of the
Seven-hour Day.
The Soviet Central Council of
Trade Unions &C. C. T. w. took a
leading part at the Hankow Confer
ence, as was natural in view of the
advanced position of the proletariat
it represents, the ruling class and
builder of socialist economy, al
though the initial call for the Con-
ference came from the Trades
Council of New South Wales, Aus
tralia.
The Soviet proletariat has never
for one instant forgotten its rev.
dictionary obligation to the OPP
pressed and exploited of the whole
world, and the Soviet C. C. T. u.
expressed that obligation not only
by active leadership in forming and
building the Red International of
Labor Unions, by uniting in a fra
ternal bond with the exploited and
oppressed colonial masses through
the P. P. t. U. S., but also on the
internal front against imperialism,
by building up socialist economy
and despite all difficulties and lag
gard tendencies taking the often
sive to root out the remnants of
capitalist economy.
The consummation of this task is
of transcendent political Importance
to the international working class,
but nevertheless met with obstruc-
ton from opportunist elements in
the leading strata of the Central
Council of Trade Unions of the
Soviet Union. These elements
abused the trust of the lower ranks
which had placed them in high posi-
ton, revealed distrust of the Gre
alive forces of the proletarian rev.
olution, opposed the Five-Year Plan
of socialist construction designed to
GUST what is remaining of capitalist