The Depression, 1930-1935

Component identifier:

Series 23

Content Summary:

There is less than a single box in the collection that appears to have been kept by Copland as relating specifically to the Depression and the attempts of economists to remedy it. For example, apart from a few copies of its report, there is virtually nothing on the famous Committee of Economists and Under-Treasurers that made recommendations to a subcommittee of the Australian Loan Council in May 1931 and was later known as the 'Premiers' Plan'. Copland's own account of his role in the Depression is provided in The battle of the Plans: documents relating to the Premiers' Conference May 25th to June 11th, 1931, with an introduction by E.O.G. Shann and D.B. Copland (Angus Robertson, Sydney, 1931), and primarily in his Alfred Marshall Lectures published as Australia in the world crisis, 1929-33 (Cambridge University Press, 1934).

Series 23 includes drafts, some in Giblin's hand, statistics, and other papers on the February 1931 Premiers' Conference, and the printed proceedings of the May-June 1931 Conference. The implementation of 'the Plan' is documented by copies of State Parliament Bills and by cuttings. Some of Copland's own published writings are included in the latter and, as well, the Series has his and E.O.G. Shann's privately circulated Notes on the Australian Position, December 1931 and Copland's article 'Bank rates and the Conference Plan'.

There are also some subject files of cuttings, reports and in some instances correspondence that have been retained as originally grouped under the following headings: (1) Australian crisis, 1930-31, (2) Premiers' Plan early memoranda, (3) Economists conference (Two files, May 1930, November 1931), (4) Premiers Conference (September 1931) and (5) Prime Minister's Conference. The latter refers to the help Copland and Professors L.F. Giblin, R.C. Mills, E.O.G. Shann and L.G. Melville gave Lyons in preparing material for the Imperial Economic Conference, Ottawa in June 1932. Finally, there are two files of evidence in favour of 'wage adjustment' that Copland presented to the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration in October and December 1930.

Other relevant items are in Series 7 (being reviews of Australia in the world crisis 1929-33) and there is an 'Advice to payee' slip for Copland's attendance at the June 1931 Premiers' Conference in Series 4.

Lastly, Series 1 (General correspondence) should not be overlooked for material on the Depression. Here, in the 1929-31 files particularly, can be found correspondence containing numerous references to the Premiers Conferences and competing policies and recommendations with fellow economists and with people like J.M. Keynes, E.G. Theodore, R.G. Casey, Professor T. Gregory and Sir Robert Gibson. Likewise, the papers Copland filed under 'Bank of New South Wales' (Series 29) include some excellent sources on Copland and the Depression.

Immediate source of acquisition:

Lady Copland presented the personal papers of Sir Douglas Copland to the National Library in September 1973. Additions to the collection were received from the Copland Family between 1977 and 1981.

Names:

Copland, D.B. (Douglas Berry), 1894-1971

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