Letter CANBERRA, 9 August 1945
I.L.O. CONFERENCE AT PARIS The officers of my Department, and the Departments of Post-war Reconstruction, Health, Labour and National Service, have prepared for you and members of your Delegation [1] several memoranda on relevant subjects which you will find useful as background. I attach a list of these papers. You will see they include a draft opening statement which, with amendments to suit circumstances as you find them, should be useful.
I should like you to make very special efforts to obtain for Australia a place on the Governing Body of the I.L.O. We failed to obtain a seat at the elections at the Philadelphia Conference.
Since that time, and as a result of the San Francisco Conference, Australia has become better known, and you should obtain the support of most South American Republics. I shall communicate with several of my friends amongst the foreign ministers of South America to seek their support.
The Paris Conference may prove to be mainly concerned with European transition problems, the chief exception to this being the item on the agenda dealing with dependent peoples.
It is important that you should on all occasions call attention to the existence of the transition problems also of the South-East Asia and South-West Pacific areas. They are perhaps even more difficult, for a variety of native peoples have to be re- organized, and the wealth of these areas, which is great, has to be exploited in ways which prejudice neither the native peoples nor world peace. There are as well particular labour problems in this area in which the I.L.O. should be concerned.
In this regard, you may find an opportunity to advocate the setting up in Australia of an I.L.O. regional office for the study of the problems of the area.
I should like you to keep me closely informed by cable of conference proceedings, particularly on the important question of the relationship of the I.L.O. to the World Organization, and on constitutional changes suggested to bring Russia into the I.L.O.
I hope you and your wife and other members of the party have a pleasant and valuable voyage.
H. V. EVATT
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1 Govt delegates were J. M. Fraser and L. Haylen with G. Lawson as substitute delegate and adviser. E. R. Walker, I. G. Sharp, A. H.
Tange and Jean Robertson were Govt advisers. The Employers’ delegate was 0. D. A. Oberg with P.R. Wilkins as adviser, and the Worker’s, delegate A. E. Monk with R. A. King as adviser. L. W.
Loveless was secretary to the delegation. The Conference was held 15 October-5 November.
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[AA : A1066, IC45/28/7/1]