The People and Their Experts: a War-Inspired Civics for H.C Coombs

Labour History

Volumn , Issue 74, 1998, Pages 70-87

  Rowse, Tim ^a  

^a NONE

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EID: 0007328978     PISSN: 00236942     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.3828/27516554     Document Type: Article

References (62)

1. P.M.C. Hasluck, The government and the people 1939-41, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1952, p.236and237.
2. P.M.C. Hasluck, The government and the people 1942-45, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1970, pp. 272-4.
3. I. Milner, 'Referendum retrospect', Australian Quarterly, vol.16 no.4, December 1944, pp.38-49, p.40.
4. J.L. Paton, 'A further referendum retrospect', Australian Quarterly, vol.17 no.l, March 1945, pp.104 11, p.107.
5. W.J. Waters, The Opposition and the "powers" referendum, 1944', Politics, vol.4 no 1, May 1969, pp. 42-56, p.54.
6. B. Galligan, A Federal Republic: Australia's Constitutional System of Government, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1995, p.131.
7. This paper overlaps with another, 'The bureaucrat as Labor Reformer - H.C. Coombs, 1942-44' in P. Bertola and J. Bailey (eds), Frontiers of Labour (Proceedings of the Fifth National Conference of the ASSLH, Perth, Western Australia, 2-4 October 1997, pp.248-67. The two papers are significantly different in emphasis, and I hope that readers will see them as complementary, rather than as alternative versions of the one paper.
8. P. Spender, 'Is there anything wrong with Australia?', Public Administration, vol.4 no.2, June 1942, pp. 63-70.
9. Hasluck's theme - a people misjudged - reads to me as an elaboration of Spender's observation: '[The government] often complained, cajoled and even threatened, and they constantly exhorted the people to do more, but seldom did they appear to trust them'. The Government... 1942-45, p.628.
10. A.P. Elkin, Our Opinions and the National Effort, Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1941, p. 14.
11. Elkin to Curtin 17 December 1941, 14 January 1942 and 5 March 1942, CRS A1608/1 item AK29/1/ 2, Australian Archives ACT (hereafter AA ACT).
12. 'Report of Committee on Civilian Morale made under direction of the Prime Minister' (presented 4 April 1942) The Committee was listed as consisting of: K. Barry, C.E.W. Bean, I. Clunies Ross, S. Deamer, I. Hogbin, J. Stone and A.K. Stout. CRS 5954/1, item 328/21, AA ACT.
13. A.A. Cordon, Sydney Deamer (journalist), A.K. Stout, J. Stone, Ian Hogbin (academics), E.D. Roper (NSW SC judge), K.L. Barry (ABC), R.D. Wright, R.M. Crawford, W.E.H. Stanner (academics) made up this committee's approved membership.
14. 'Plan for a National Public Relations Service' (nd), CRS A 5954/1, item 328/21. AA ACT.
15. The fortunes of Cordon's proposal in Cabinet are reflected in correspondence in CRS A5954/1 item 328/21, AA ACT.
16. Menzies quoted in SJ. Butlin, War Economy 1939-42, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1955, p.473
17. 'Labour Supply and Rationing' (February 1942) CRS M448/1 item 179 AA ACT.
18. H.C. Coombs, Trial Balance, Macmillan, Melbourne, 1981, p.12-14. However, the author's draft, before Macmillan's cuts, dealt with this paper.
19. Coombs to G.A. Judkins 1 June 1942, Coombs to Archbishop of Melbourne 25 May 1942 and Coombs to Moderator Presbyterian Church 25 May 1942, CRS M448/1 item 175 AA ACT.
20. Transcript of address (19 June 1942) to Housewives Association of New South Wales, CRS M448/1, item 178, AA ACT.
21. 'Clothes Rationing Survey' (nd), CRS M448/1, item 178, AA ACT.
22. The Economic Implications of Rationing' (nd), CRS M448/1 item 179 AA ACT.
23. Transcript of address (19 June 1942) to the Housewives Association of New South Wales, CRS M448/1, item 178 AA ACT.
24. Transcript of address to the Housewives Association of NSW, 19 June 1942, CRS M448/1 item 178, AAACT.
25. The Economic Implications of Rationing' CRS M448/1 item 179, nd, AA ACT.
26. J.B. Chifley, 'Reconstruction after the war', Public Administration, vol.III no 3, September 1941, p.104.
27. Quoted in K.H. Bailey, The Constitution and its problems' in C.H. Grattan (ed.), Australia, University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1947, p.102.
28. Wilson thus denied that the formation of the Department could be credited to the Labour Movement's initiative. See National Library of Australia Oral History Transcript 1096 '1981 Post War Reconstruction Seminar', Reel 5, side 2, pp.11-13.
29. Calwell to Coombs, 18 January 1943, CRS M448/1 item 39, AA ACT.
30. Coombs to Chifley, 22 October 1942, Box /V' Crisp papers NLA MS 5243
31. Firth to Coombs, 10 November 1942, CRS M448/1 item 19, AA ACT.
32. Firth to Coombs, 8 February 1943; and Tange to Coombs, 10 February 1943, L.F. Crisp papers, NLA Ms 5243, File Box V.
33. Coombs to Chifley, 29 March 1943, CRS M448/1, item 33, AA ACT.
34. A.W. Martin and J. Penny, The Rural Reconstruction Commission, 1943-7', Australian Journal of Politics and History, vol.29 no 2,1983, pp.218-236.
35. H.C. Coombs, The Special Problems of Planning, Melbourne University Press, 1944, p. 18.
36. I have not tried to describe the substantive products of these commissions. The reader should consult P.M.C. Hasluck, Government and the People 1942-5, pp.508-23
37. C.B. Schedvin and S.J. Butlin, The War Economy 1942-45, Chapters 23 and 24
38. A.W. Martin and J.V. Penny, The Rural Reconstruction Commission, 1943-7' Australian Journal of Politics and History vol.29, no.2,1983, pp. 218-36
39. C. Lloyd and P. Troy, The Commonwealth Housing Commission and a National Housing Policy', (unpublished paper, nd), Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University
40. C. Johnson, 'Social Harmony and Australian Labor: the role of private industry in the Curtin and Chifley governments' plans for Australian Economic Development', Australian Journal of Politics and History, vol.32, no.l, 1986, pp.20-38.
41. Coombs to General Secretary, The United Bank Officers Association, 31 December 1943, CRS CP43/1/1 item43/981, AAACT.
42. A. Martin and J. Penny, pp.224, 229.
43. Coombs to Minister (no date, but report in question was published 31 March 1944), CRS M448/1 item 33, AAACT.
44. 'Plan of Public Relations', (no date), CRS M448/1 item 110, AA ACT.
45. Coombs to Minister, 30 March 1943, M448/1 item 33, AA ACT.
46. Coombs to Minister, 30 September 1943, CRS M448/1, item 33, AA ACT.
47. 'People and Planning', CRS M448/1 item 237, AA ACT.
48. H.C. Coombs, The Economic Aftermath of War' in D.A.S. Campbell (ed.), Post-War Reconstruction in Australia, Australasian Publishing Company Pry Ltd, Sydney, 1944, pp.77-8.
49. 'Plan for Educational Campaign in relation to projected referendum appeal for increased federal powers', CRS CP43/1/1 item 44/29, AA ACT. Arthur Calwell attributed a document 'Plan for Educational Campaign etc7 to Coombs when writing to Chifley about the campaign. Calwell to Chifley, 11 January 1944, CRS CP43/1, item 44/162, AA ACT.
50. 'Report from Deputy Director - Melbourne', (nd), CRS M448/1 item 29, AA ACT.
51. Ross to Palethorpe 11 April 1944, CRS CP43/1 item 44/183 AA ACT.
52. '1981 Postwar Reconstruction Seminar', reel 3, side 1, p.32.
53. Coombs to Minister, 23 May 1944, CRS CP43/1/1, item 44/29, AA ACT.
54. Radio script for broadcast 7 May 1944, CRS CP43/1 item 1944/434, AA ACT
55. Shedden to Curtin, 28 October 1944, (The National War Effort and the Maintenance of Public Morale to Support It'), CRS A5954/1 item 312/8, AA ACT.60.
56. F.A. Bland, Planning the Modern State, 2nd ed., Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1945, p.53.
57. Notes on Executive Officers meetings, Department of Postwar Reconstruction, 19 November 1943 and 16 and 17 February 1944, CRS M448/1 item 110, AA ACT.
58. Ross to Coombs, 24 April 1944, CRS CP 43/1/1/ item 44/29, AA ACT.
59. Notes on Executive Committee Meeting, Department of Postwar Reconstruction, 19 May 1944, CRS M448/1 item 110, AA ACT.
60. Coombs to A. Edwards, 16 May 1944, CRS M448/1 item 40, AA ACT.
61. Ross to Coombs, 14 November 1944, Lloyd Ross papers (NLA MS 3939, Box 49, folder ii).
62. '1981 Postwar Reconstruction Seminar', reel 6, side two, p.12; Coombs Trial Balance pp. 50,53.