John Brown prosecution, 1929

Component identifier:

Series 38

Content Summary:

On 1 March 1929 an 18 month lockout began on the northern coalfields of New South Wales when 10,000 miners, who would not accept wage reductions, were dismissed. On 22 March 1929 Latham announced that one of the leading mine-owners, John Brown, would be prosecuted under the Industrial Peace Act and the Arbitration Act. However, in opening a conference between the owners and the miners on 8 April 1929, Bruce stated that the prosecution would be dropped, a decision which had long-term political repercussions.

The proceedings of the Coal Mining Industry Conference in Sydney (8-18 April 1929) are in this series. There is a typescript copy of the official file on the Brown prosecution, consisting of Latham's correspondence with his advisers Sir Robert Garran, W. H. Sharwood and G. A. Watson and the solicitors E. M. Brissenden and J. R. Neild (28 February-31 August 1929). There is a statement by Bruce on the reasons for the withdrawal of the prosecution, a booklet The dispute in the coal industry, and speeches by Bruce and Latham. The other papers are Latham's notes on the events leading up to the withdrawal (5-11 April 1929) and the telegrams he sent to Bruce (9-10 April 1929).

Comprises Files 1-2 (Items 1-108).

Immediate source of acquisition:

The bulk of the collection was presented to the National Library by Sir John Latham in December 1963, a few months before his death. In November 1974 the Library purchased some further papers from a secondhand book dealer. They comprised family letters and photographs, some diaries and papers relating to the High Court. These papers have been amalgamated into the original collection.

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