On a recent visit to Sydney Mr John Arrowsmith, President of the Melbourne Branch of the A.S.S.L.H., passed some exciting news about a special edition of their journal Recorder Issue No 130 of Recorder, scheduled for release in November, promises to be a collector’s item for those interested in Australian Labour History. The issue sets out to be a history of the Australian working class featuring articles on the jailing of Clarrie O’Shea in 1969, the Melbourne gasworkers’ strike of 1937, the formation of the A.C.T.U. and the first trades and labor council, the rise of arbitration, the A.L.P. split of 1954-57, conscription, Eureka, women in the trade union movement and bank nationalization; it is, in other words, comprehensive. And better than that, particularly for those who sat through the class analysis section of the recent Australian Historical Association conference in Melbourne, where most of the language would choke a duck, this is a fine example of accessible proletarian history written by and for that class. John Arrowsmith, Dick Curlewis and Jack Hutson meet each Tuesday morning to discuss editorial policy. Hummer applauds their achievement and announces that copies will be available through the Sydney Branch of the A.S.S.L.H.
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