1st March, 1928
PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL
My dear P.M.,
In continuation of my talk to Mr. Thomas. [1] He said: ‘Why ever did Bruce ask Amery [2] for industrialists only on the Big Four [3] who are going to Australia? Why didn’t he ask for at least one Labour man?’ I said that I was not in touch with this and did not know what was in your mind, but asked him if it would be possible for a Labour man to be included, even now, if you asked for one.
He said that now it was too near the election here and that the men who would be worth while getting to go were too absorbed with work in connection with the coming election. But he said to let you know that he thought it would be possible after the election, in a year or eighteen months’ time, to get three or four first- class Labour men, such as himself, Tom Johnston [4], Citrine [5], etc., to go out on a mission. I said that such a matter was out of my sphere altogether but that I would tell you what he had said.
[6]
I am, Yours sincerely, R.G. CASEY
_1 See Letter 107.
2 Leopold Amery, Secretary for the Colonies and for Dominion Affairs.
3 See note 22 to Letter 85.
4 Scottish Labour M.P.
5 Walter Citrine, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress.
6 In a letter to Casey of 14 April 1928 (on file AA:A1420) Bruce replied: ‘With regard to the business delegation that is coming to Australia, I was interested to hear Thomas’ view that it should have had a labour man in it. It seems to me that it is too late to alter the position now, and in any event I am a little doubtful how a labour man would have fitted in to the particular job that we want people to do. We might, however, consider the suggestion that has been put forward that later on we should invite a delegation of representative tabour men to come to Australia. I think they could probably do a good deal of good if we got the right men.’
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