The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957)(about) |
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Saturday 16 April 1955
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Labor split widens
CAIN SNUBS BARRY MEN; POLL 'SURE'
THE Labor Party split in Victoria
was widened yesterday when:
9 Mr. Cain, Premier, de
clined a Barry-Cole man group request for a unity conference;
and
. The old State execu
tive has authorized its Parliamentary leaders to appeal to the only tribunal now avail able - the people.
The Evatt-Stout group, by rejecting requests for a unity conference, would have to accept responsibility for events in the forthcom ing State session, the old'
executive declared.
"Authority"
It declared a previous re jection of a conference was undoubtedly due to a pro
Communist influence, which 'x wes inexorably determined to smash Labor unity.
In a letter to Mr. Barry, , rejecting the conference pro posal, Mr. Cain said unity could be achieved only by acceptance of authority of the Federal Labor Confer ence, the Federal executive,; and the Victorian central executive.
Unless the Coleman-Barry Party now somersaults, it ia certain to vote against the Government on the .Liberal's' no-confidence motion to be launched in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.
'Smash party'
Mr. Barry said last nient: "Mr. Cain seems determined to smash the Labor Party in the interests, of the Com munist Party, which is the only Party to benefit by such ¡a break.
"What Mr. Cain is doincr in his letter is to ask us to ally ourselves with the Evatt - Stout - Cain - Com munist ¿rom).
"Mr. Cain knows we can. .not possibly do this."
The Labor Teachers' con ference yesterday carried a resolution stating that i* could recognise only the old executive in Victoria.
It, appealed for a unity conference to give rank and file members a chance of healing the breach.
The union will be known In future as the Affiliated Teachers' Union.
Delegates agreed to the shange, which was requested by the Trades Hall Council on the ground that, as it was an affiliated body, the word "Labor" was unneces
sary.