Evening star., 1949-06-09
Evatt Faces Criticism
OF Party on Failure
To Back Race Policy
By Don Wilmington

SYDNEY, Australia. June g.
(By Airmail)-Dr. Herbert We're
Evatt, president of the United
Nations General Assembly. will
encounter sharp and bitter criti-
cism from his own party when
he returns to Australia.
Developments within the cab
met in the past 48 hours indicate
the deputy prime minister and ex-
ternal affairs chief may have to
contend with a hostile reception
from the Labor Party because of
his failure at Lake Success to de-
fend the party's restrictive immi-
grafton policy.
With DR.. Evatt scheduled to
reach Australia this week, the
minister for immigration. fiery,
impetuous Arthur Augustus CAL
well-whose almost fanatical han
ding Of the white Australia pol
icy already has caused a breach
with Gen. MacArthur's staff in
Tokyo-has rebuker DR.. Evatt
for his recent attitude to Austral-
las immigration policy.
Mr.. Calwell revealed yesterday
that he had sent Prime Minister
j. B. Chifley a letter saying that
while DR.. Evatt and his advisers
may have been right in ignoring
recent UN. attacks on the white
Australia policy. on the ground
that it was a domestic matter
and not a subject for the U.N.
They should at least have issued
q statement outlining Australia's
views and the reasons for its re-
cent actions.
ChipIey Backs Calwell.
On Sunday night. Prime Min.
lister Chifley gave a national radio
talk in which he voiced tacit sup
port of Mr.. Calwell's policy and
behavior.
1T has been and still is O fact
that the most likely sources Of
cheap labor for those who wish to
exploit it are the Asian countries
so near to Australia" Mr.. Chifley
said. THAT was how and why
Australia established the restric-
ted policy which has been followed
by all (Australian) governments.
This country was and is aware
that sooner or later trouble and
misery would result when people
of different races, living standards,
cultures and historic backgrounds
live side by side in the same COM
munity. It is the outcry Of the
obstinate minority which has di-
rected 50 much attention recently
to a policy which has been In ex-
, istence ever since federation.
Leakage of the news Of Mr..
Calwell's protest to Mr.. Chifley
has brought an explanation from
the minister, who says now he
has never had anything but ad-
miration for the learned doctor.
That doesn't fool political observ-
ers who know the labor party's
policy Of keeping It's internecine
squabbles strictly private. and who
know the old antagonism between
the two.
The Evatt-Calwell clash ac-
tually is the elimination of a
long standing feud between two
ambitious men both Of whom want
to be and believe they can be
prime minister when Mr.. Chit
ley retires. Despite DR.. Evatt's
stature as q world figure, he will
risk defeat If he ever crosses
swords with Mr.. Ca1well within
the Australian Labor Party, where
Mr.. Calwell has been one Of the
powers behind the scenes for
years.
Must Have Votes.
DR.. Evatt is not personally pop
ular with the parliamentary La
Dor Party-which. however, gives
him full credit for his remarkable
achievements in world politics.
His leadership prospects rest
mainly on these achievements and
Labor's belief that ne coulo WIN
votes at an election.
Mr.. Calwell. popular personally,
came up the hard way in Labor
politics. He has organized, super
vised or participated in more po-
litical executions within the Party
than most of his colleagues and
is credited by his supporters with
having achieved tremendous sue
cess in creating the present migra-
tion drive which is bringing thou
sands of immigrants to Australia
every month. His strict adher-
ence to the white Australia pol
icy also has the backing of the
Labor Party.
The present friction between
the two began months ago. during
DR.. Evatt's last trip home. when
he complained that. Mr.. Calwell's
handling Of immigration was max
ing 1t impossible to preserve har-
monious relations with many
other countries.
Mr.. Chifiey has publicly en-
dorsed Mr.. Calwell's actions sew
eral times recently. DR.. Evatt's