Series 01 Part 02: Hughes family correspondence, 3 April 1917-22 September 1918 - Page 379
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[Page 379]
2.
war bill even at the present rate of reinforcements, and Heaven knows how inadequate that is. I am subscribing for £1000, & would like to subscribe for much more if I only had it available.
The reinforcement question here is very grave & Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson the Governor-General is calling a conference of men of all parties for Friday next to see if any scheme can be devised to stimulate recruiting. The Labour Party are going to send representatives to the conference, but I don't look to them as a party for any real support. The truth is that most of them have their minds poisoned with socialism of various rabid brands, & also with a consuming hatred of Billy Hughes, & they haven't enough patriotism to sink politics for patriotism. Many of them, & many of our own Church here, are I regret to say no better than Bolcheviks, and I am sure that there is a substantial portion of the dregs of them who would like to see the Empire beaten. So that you see I haven't any very great hopes of much coming out of the conference. Carmichael M.L.A., who is now a captain with a Military Cross, was never particularly admired by me as a politician. He always seemed to me to be a clever but a bitter Labourite. Now he has come back