| <11 March 1915,>
|
|
|
| <Labor Call.">
| I would like to make a suggestion to Mr
| Langridge, who is apparently preparing to organise
| yet another wordy onslaught on Conference. Mr
| Langridge shows that his support is growing by 4 per
| cent per year, and that it has been the best debated
| item on the agenda paper for the last three
| conferences, and presumably if the ratio is kept up
| he expects to win through in another three years.
| Now, three debates on one subject pretty well
| exhaust the arguments - it certainly
| exhausts the time. One-fifth of last Conference time
| was spent over this subject. Supposing this year the
| motion is allowed just ordinary time -
| in fact, during the next three years
| - until in the natural course of time
| the big guns may again be heard without boredom, but
| with a chance of success. Conference has 36 hours to
| work in - once a year. Last year 13
| of these hours were spent over two motions, and we
| are threatened again this year. If Conference were a
| debating society this might be very profitable, as
| the speeches are often interesting. But to one who
| attends for practical purposes they get a little
| wearisome. Some of these hardy annuals ought to be
| given a rest. Then the slaughtered innocents would
| be less. There are many matters of importance to be
| discussed in a meeting of over 130 representatives
| from all parts of the State ~~ each of whom is
| supposed to know his own mind, and there is no time
| for repetition or rhetoric.
|