Guide to the Papers of Lloyd Ross
MS 3939
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Collection Summary
- Creator
- Lloyd Ross
- Title
- Papers of Lloyd Ross
- Date Range
- 1854-1986
- Collection Number
- MS 3939
- Extent
- 19.6 metres (100 boxes, 21 folio items)
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- National Library of Australia
Introduction
Scope and Contents
The collection includes correspondence, diaries, notebooks, books, circulars, conference papers, congratulatory messages, greeting cards, invitations, journal articles, leaflets, memoranda, newscuttings, newspapers, pamphlets, photographs, receipts, reports, research material, telegrams and typescripts. They relate to all aspects of Ross's varied career as a teacher, writer, trade unionist, journalist, public servant and historian.
The main correspondents are Frank Anstey, J. B. Chifley, L. F. Crisp, Elsie Curtin, John Curtin, Frank Farrell, Allan Fisher, Hartley Grattan, Jeff James, Jack Maddox, Tom Mann, Elsie McLeod, Bob Neale, Edgar Ross, Stina Ross, B. A. Santamaria, E. G. Theodore and Anne Turner.
The collection also includes some papers belonging to R. S. Ross, Ross's father, and Frank Anstey.
Conditions Governing Access
Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn269260).
Conditions Governing Use
Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.
Preferred Citation
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Lloyd Ross, National Library of Australia, MS 3939, [box number and series and/or file number]'.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers were purchased from Lloyd Ross by the National Library in three instalments in 1974, 1979 and 1982. Further instalments were received after his death, in 1988 and 1991.
Related Materials
The National Library also holds the papers of Ross's father, Robert Samuel Ross (MS 3222) and his brother, Edgar Ross (Acc 97/45).
Two interviews with Lloyd Ross are held in the Oral History Collection at TRC 236 and TRC 1948-21. Item TRC 236 is an interview by Suzanne Walker in 1973. Item TRC 1948-21 is an interview by Richard Raxworthy and Michael Easson in 1986 which was part of the Labor Council of New South Wales Oral History Project.
Arrangement
The five instalments have been amalgamated and arranged into 22 series. Wherever possible, the original arrangement of the papers and the file titles have been preserved by the Library.
Biographical Note
Lloyd Ross was born in Brisbane in 1901, the son of Robert Samuel Ross, a journalist and political activist, and grew up in a socialist environment. Ross displayed great intellectual ability from an early age. In 1916 he won a scholarship to attend University High School, Melbourne. In 1919 he won another scholarship which enabled him to go to Melbourne University. Ross was a student at Melbourne University in 1920-25 and during this time involved himself in a wide range of activities. In 1925 he joined the staff of the new student newspaper Farrago and in the same year was an inaugural member of the Melbourne University Labor Club. At the end of 1925 he abandoned his full time studies and started looking for full-time employment. He was offered the post of tutor-organiser in adult education with the Worker's Educational Association (WEA) in Dunedin, New Zealand. He married Christina Adelskold on 2 February 1926 and sailed for New Zealand six days later. Ross was an excellent teacher and quickly built up a following in Dunedin. In 1933 Ross returned to Australia where he was appointed by Sydney University to the post of tutor-organiser with the Newcastle branch of the WEA. In Newcastle he conducted evening classes on economics and international affairs but neither of these topics aroused much interest. In an attempt to reach a wider audience he decided to adopt alternative teaching methods. He commenced a series of lunch time classes for workers at the Broadmeadow Railway Workshops which proved a great success. He also began producing plays with the cast drawn from WEA supporters. It was in Newcastle that he first developed contacts with the Australian Railways Union (ARU) which later led to his nomination as State Secretary. In May 1934 he was appointed Assistant Director of Tutorial Classes at Sydney University. In 1935 Ross was awarded a doctorate (Doctor of Letters) from the University of New Zealand. In the same year he was elected New South Wales Secretary of the ARU. As ARU Secretary, Ross turned energetically to the work of improving the appalling conditions experienced by many railway and tram workers. He favoured strong on-the-job agitation and aggressive publicity in support of industrial campaigns. Under Ross's direction, a flood of pamphlets, leaflets and circulars was issued highlighting current demands and outstanding grievances. In 1935 Ross joined the Communist Party of Australia believing it to be the only effective workers' party. On the outbreak of war in 1939 Ross remained loyal to the Party in opposing the war. However, as events unfolded he was to change his stance, especially after the signing of the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. Ross was expelled from the Communist Party in 1941. He subsequently swung his support to the federal Labor Government of Prime Minister John Curtin, despite bitter factional fighting within the ARU. It was a split that led to lasting divisions between some ARU activists and in Ross's case, between himself and his brother. By 1943, after seven hectic years as State Secretary, Ross was ready for a break from the ARU and its factionalism. Following a brief period as a wartime broadcaster and speechmaker in the United States and England, he returned to Australia and joined the Department of Post-War Construction, serving as Director of Public Relations until the defeat of the Chifley Government in 1949. In 1952, after working on the Melbourne Herald, Ross returned to the ARU to begin a second term as Secretary of the New South Wales Branch, following the resignation of his friend, Jack Ferguson. He returned to a union that was still undergoing many factional disputes. In the 1950s and 1960s Ross once again pursued his efforts to improve railway workers' conditions. The introduction of diesels to replace steam engines brought hard times for many ARU members in the country with depot closures and forced relocations being common. But Ross was able to ensure that the Department of Railways did not sack anyone due to the new technology. In 1969 Ross retired from the position of New South Wales Branch Secretary, having served a record 25 years in the job. In 1972 he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE). In his retirement, Ross was able to return to his writing and research. His biography of John Curtin which he had commenced almost thirty years earlier was finally published in 1977 by Macmillan. He also turned to his biography of his father but it was unfortunately not completed at the time of his death in 1987. Reference: Stephen Holt, A veritable dynamo: Lloyd Ross and Australian Labour, 1901-1987, St Lucia, University of Queensland Press, 1996
Item Descriptions
Series 1. Correspondence, 1925-83
This series consists of both personal and business correspondence relating to all aspects of Ross's varied career as a teacher, writer, trade unionist, journalist and historian. It consists of letters, circulars, greeting cards, invitations, leaflets, newscuttings, receipts and telegrams. Included are invitations to speak at meetings and conferences, letters from members of the public commenting on his newspaper articles or talks, out-letters seeking information on John Curtin for his biography and responses, letters written to his wife from overseas, congratulatory messages on his award of the OBE and general business correspondence.
The main correspondents are L. F. Crisp, Elsie Curtin, Frank Farrell, Allan Fisher, Hartley Grattan, Jeff James, Jack Maddox, Elsie McLeod, Bob Neale, Edgar Ross, Stina Ross, B. A. Santamaria and Anne Turner.
The correspondence has been arranged by Ross in rough chronological order. This original arrangement of material has been retained and it has resulted in a high degree of overlap within the date ranges of some files.
Correspondence, 1934, and notes relating to the New Australia Movement (File 3) - Box 1
Included is a letter from E.H. Lane commenting on Ross's biography of William Lane. The file also contains some newscuttings on the New Australia Movement, 1893, three articles by Ross from the Otago Daily Times and two postcards of Tom Mann ( one dated 1911).
Correspondence, 1942-43, consisting of letters and telegrams sent to his wife Stina while overseas (File 7) - Box 1
Correspondence, 1951, with Jeff James, Secretary of the Australian Journalists Association, NSW Division (File 13) - Box 3
Correspondence, 1963, consisting of letters written to his wife, Stina, while on an overseas trip (File 16) - Box 3
Series 2. Diaries and notebooks, 1929-63
During his career, Ross undertook a number of overseas trips to study and look at conditions of work and economic trends in other countries. In 1929 he was the recipient of a Rockefeller Fellowship and he used it to study in England at Manchester University and the London School of Economics. This small collection of diaries and notebooks records overseas trips in 1929-30 and 1963.
Series 3. Personal documents and memorabilia, 1861-1986
This series consists mainly of certificates, cards, invitations, travel memorabilia and other items of ephemera. It also includes personal material such as a professional reference, drafts and notes for a resumé and background material for various interviews with Ross.
Certificates: marriage certificate of Thomas Slaughter (1861), (Ross's grandfather); birth certificate of Robert Samuel Ross (1873); birth certificate of Ethel Slaughter (1876); marriage certificate of Robert Samuel Ross and Ethel Slaughter (1900); birth certificate of Lloyd Ross (1901) (File 1) - Box 5
Certificates (school and university), greeting cards, invitations, leaflets, newscuttings, programs, travel memorabilia and other items of ephemera, 1908-70, including a book plate presented to Ross by Mary Gilmore (1932) (File 2) - Box 5
Reference for Ross written by Allan Fisher, Professor of Economics and Director of the Workers' Educational Association, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand in 1932. The file also contains a certificate (2 copies) from the Rockefeller Foundation, New York, outlining Ross's fellowship (1929) (File 3) - Box 5
Drafts and notes of a resumé outlining academic qualifications and publications. The file also contains various Workers' Educational Association pamphlets, 1946-49 (File 4) - Box 5
Drafts and notes for an application for assistance from the Commonwealth Literary Fund, 1973 (File 5) - Box 5
Series 4. Manuscripts, 1934-70
Most of the files in this series consist of typescripts drafts with corrections and handwritten notes. A number of the works are untitled and undated (files 54-62). There is also a series of plays written by Ross for Workers' Educational Association drama classes in Dunedin and workshop classes in Newcastle.
Subseries 4-1. Plays
Subseries 4-2. Other Manuscripts
'Frank Anstey': typescript with corrections (n.d). There is also a photocopy of this manuscript (File 16) - Box 8
'History of the Australian Labor Movement': typescript of second completed version, 1934 (File 17) - Box 8
'History of the Australian Labor Movement': typescript with corrections of Part II (n.d) (File 18-19) - Box 8
'John Curtin for Labor and for Australia': typescript of the inaugural John Curtin Memorial Lecture, 1970 (File 21) - Box 9
'A man and three sons' by 'Mootwingee': typescript with corrections. It is a novel based on the life of Tom Robinson (615p), (n.d) (File 22-25) - Box 9
'Socialism in Australia': typescript with corrections. This work was written for use as a textbook or study guide (n.d) (File 35) - Box 11
'The terminology of socialism in the affluent society': typescript drafts and notes (File 36) - Box 11
Various typescripts with corrections. As most of them are under ten pages in length they have not been listed individually. Most of the items are undated (File 42-43) - Box 12
Various titled and untitled typescripts and notes. As most of the notes are not annotated the original arrangement of the material has been retained. Again, most are undated (File 44-53) - Box 13
Untitled typescript with corrections and notes on Australian labour history (n.d) (File 54) - Box 14
Untitled typescript consisting of chapters with corrections on Labor and socialism (n.d) (File 55) - Box 14
Untitled typescript consisting of chapters with corrections on the Labor Movement (n.d) (File 56) - Box 14
Untitled typescript with corrections consisting of six chapters on the Labor Party. Chapter One is titled 'Introduction – Frantic Anstey' (n.d) (File 57) - Box 14
Series 5. Articles, 1932-65 - Box 16-19
Ross was a prolific writer and his articles have appeared in many Australian and overseas journals including Australian Journal of Politics and History, Australian Outlook, Australian Quarterly, Antioch Review, Foreign Affairs, Labor Digest, Meanjin, Morpeth Review, Quadrant and Twentieth Century.
This series consists of many published journal articles, pamphlets and a small number of books in which Ross has contributed chapters. There are too many items to list them individually. A comprehensive listing of works by Ross can be found in the bibliography in 'A veritable dynamo: Lloyd Ross and Australian Labour 1901-1987 by Stephen Holt.
This series comprises 4 boxes.
Series 6. Addresses, broadcasts, lectures, talks, speeches, 1940-62
This series consists of lectures, radio broadcasts, speeches and talks given by Ross.
As a high profile trade unionist Ross lectured and gave talks to a wide cross section of the community. He also wrote a number of radio plays to promote the aims of the Labor Movement. A number of the files also contain material relating to his period of employment with the Department of Post-War Reconstruction.
'Industrial unrest': a talk given to the Economic Society of Victoria, 24 May 1940 (File 1) - Box 20
Radio talks, 1942-50: on the war effort, the situation in Britain and post-war reconstruction (File 2) - Box 20
Address given at the Annual Conference of the Shire Association of New South Wales, 7 – 9 June 1944 (File 3) - Box 20
'Liberty in the social service state': lecture given to the Social Workers' Association of New South Wales, September 1947 (File 4) - Box 20
'Productivity and the employee': lecture in a series by the Melbourne Junior Chamber of Commerce, 1952. The file also contains copies of the other lectures in the series (File 5) - Box 20
'A trade unionist looks at the education inquiry': lecture given at a course on 'Secondary education in New South Wales: lectures and discussions on the Wyndham report', Armidale, NSW, 1961 (File 6) - Box 20
'Building a better trade union movement': lecture given on 28 November, 1961 as part of a series of lectures relating to the trade union movement and organised by the Paulian Association. The file also contains copies of the other lectures (File 7) - Box 20
'The trade union movement: its recent history and purposes': lecture given on 7 May, 1962 as part of a course on 'Practical trade unionism'.The course was sponsored by the Trade Union Education Committee in co-operation with the Paulian Association. The file also contains copies of some of the other lectures (File 8) - Box 21
Series 7. Conferences, seminars, 1933-68
The majority of papers in this series are conference or seminar papers presented by Ross as State Secretary of the New South Wales Branch of the Australian Railways Union or while working for the Ministry of Post-War Reconstruction.
'The future policy of trade unionism, with special reference to socialisation of industry': papers read at an Educational Conference organised by the Workers' Educational Association of New South Wales, 11 November, 1933. A criticism of a paper by E. C. Magrath was given by Ross (File 1) - Box 21
'Australian trade unionism in the twentieth century: an historical survey': paper presented to the Annual School of the Australian Institute of Political Science, January 1959 (File 2) - Box 21
Proceedings of the 1959 New South Wales Industrial Safety Convention, Newcastle City Hall, 28-29 October, 1959: opening address by Ross (File 3) - Box 21
'Labour relations in an expanding economy': address given to the Fourth Annual Industrial Officers' Conference, Sydney, November 1960 and a presidential address given to the Australian Association for Cultural Freedom Seminar on Literary Journals and Journals of Opinion (n.d) (File 4) - Box 22
'Case studies in conflict': paper presented at the Second Convention of the Industrial Relations Society held at Terrigal, NSW, May 1960. The file contains the published volume of the proceedings (File 5) - Box 22
'The right to be consulted': paper presented at the Third Convention of the Industrial Relations Society held at Terrigal, NSW, May 1961. The file contains the published volume of the proceedings (File 6) - Box 22
'Problems of participation of members in the administration and activities of trade unions with special reference to the Australian Railways Union, New South Wales Branch': paper presented to the Australian Political Studies Association Fourth Conference, Canberra, 8-10 August, 1962. The file also contains notes and part three of a series of articles on the history of the NSW branch of the Australian Railways Union 'The Secretaryship of James Howard Catts, MHR' (n.d) (File 7) - Box 22
'Recent developments in labour relations-the trade unions': paper presented at the Fourth Convention of the Industrial Relations Society held at Terrigal, NSW, May 1962. The file contains the published volume of the proceedings (File 8) - Box 22
Various papers: 'Post-war reconstruction and the universities': talk given at the annual conference of the National Union of Australian University Students, January 1944; 'Influence of urban living conditions on the rise of the Australian Labor Party': paper presented to the ANZAAS meeting in Dunedin, 1957; the presidential address given at a seminar on 'New Guinea, Papua and Australia' held by the Australian Association for Cultural Freedom, 18 October, 1964; 'Economic growth, social welfare and the mass worker'and 'Effect of social welfare policies on the growth of the national income' (File 9) - Box 22
Series 8. Workers' Educational Association, 1926-61
The Workers' Educational Association (WEA) was formed in England in 1903 and later established branches in Australia and New Zealand. The WEA was involved with adult education. It was linked to the universities and sought to introduce higher education to men and women who because of financial considerations had no opportunity to go to university.
In 1926 Ross moved to New Zealand to take up a position with the Dunedin branch of the Workers' Educational Association (WEA). In 1933 he returned to Australia he was appointed by Sydney University to the post of tutor-organiser with the Newcastle branch of the WEA. In May of the following year, he was appointed Assistant Director of Tutorial Classes at Sydney University.
This series consists of material relating to the Workers' Educational Association both in Australia and New Zealand including leaflets and outlines of some of its courses, issues of journals and papers written by Ross while working for the organisation.
Leaflet produced by the New Zealand WEA titled 'Its aims and objects', a pamphlet Dominion Constitution outlining the WEA constitution as adopted by the annual conference in 1926 and programs for productions of The importance of being Ernest (1932) and Bird in hand (n.d) by the WEA Little Theatre, Dunedin (File 1) - Box 23
Six issues of The New Zealand Highway: the monthly journal of the Workers' Education Association of New Zealand, 1926-28 (File 2) - Box 23
Leaflet advertising six lectures to be given by Ross in Broken Hill in October and November 1928. Ross, at this time, was working for the WEA in New Zealand. The file also contains a brochure advertising a WEA conference in Victoria in 1928 (File 3) - Box 23
Twelve issues of The Australian Highway: the monthly journal of the Workers' Educational Association of Australia (1932-52) and an issue of The Hunter River Highway, 1933 (File 4) - Box 23
WEA correspondence classes based on Ross' world trip (1930-31). The file contains lectures 5, 7-10, 13,14 and 16-22 (File 5) - Box 23
'Why men work – and why they don't': Discussion Course D133 consisting of a series of five lectures (1948, revised edition 1955) (File 6-7) - Box 23
Some papers in adult education, Department of Tutorial Classes, University of Sydney, 1955. Included is a paper by Ross, 'A class in trade unionism – 1949-51'. The file also includes a list of courses for the 'Group Discussion Scheme', 1943, and an issue of Current Affairs Bulletin (1953) published by the Tutorial Classes Department (File 8) - Box 24
University Tutorial Class: various lecture notes by Lloyd Ross for courses in industrial relations and labour relations, 1960-61 (File 9) - Box 24
Series 9. Australian Railways Union, 1921-84
Ross served as State Secretary (NSW) to the Australian Railways Union (ARU) in 1935-43 and again in 1952-69. This series consists of documents relating to both the federal organisation and the state branch of the ARU. It includes minute and reports of conferences, various reports by the State Secretary, correspondence, circulars, memoranda, and some leaflets, pamphlets, newsletters and newspapers produced by the union.
Subseries 9-1. Australian Council
13th-22nd meetings of the Australian Council held in various state capitals, 1937-50: minutes (File 2) - Box 25
26th meeting of the Australian Council, Melbourne, 5-9 March, 1956: agenda and report (File 5) - Box 25
28th meeting of the Australian Council, Launceston, 28 April-1 May, 1958: report. There is also a report of the New South Wales Branch (File 6) - Box 25
30th meeting of the Australian Council, Sydney, 30 April-4 May, 1962: report. There is also a report of the New South Wales Branch (File 8) - Box 26
31st meeting of the Australian Council, Adelaide, 20-24 April, 1964: report. There is also a report of the New South Wales Branch (File) - Box 26
Subseries 9-2. New South Wales Branch
Correspondence, circulars, cuttings, notes and memoranda, 1934-69, including a report 'An industrial medical survey of the comparative morbidity incidence of dermatitis in members of the Australian Railways Union employed in workshops of the Department of Railways' (File 14) - Box 26
Anti-Ross leaflets and circulars, 1941, and correspondence relating to their circulation (File 61) - Box 34
Bound volume of reports, 1943-47, including appeals reports, compensation cases, reports of the Finance Committee and Educational and Organising Committee and the State Secretary's reports (File 62) - Box 35
'Morale in the New South Wales Government Railways', Reports No 1 and 2, by R.T. Martin and J. C. Murray with the assistance of Ross, 1957 (File 63) - Box 36
'Industrial relations and trade unionism in South East Asia, USA and Australia', seminar held at 'Transport House', Redfern, 7 July 1960: papers, program and list of delegates (File 64) - Box 36
Correspondence, 1966, forwarded to state branches by the General Secretary, M. O'Brien (File 69) - Box 36
Correspondence, 1972-75, notes, various reports and research material relating to the writing of a history of the New South Wales branch by Ross. The union had asked him to write a series of 11 articles to appear in the branch union journal Railroad. The file also contains various photographs relating to railways (File 70) - Box 36 or 37
Subject file: arbitration material and state awards for various occupations, 1951-69 (File 71-73) - Box 37
Various issues of magazines and newsletters of the Australian Railways Union and the New South Wales Department of Railways, 1942-70 (File 74) - Box 37
Various leaflets and pamphlets produced by the Australian Railways Union, 1939-72 (File 75-76) - Box 37
'On trade union responsibilities': paper by Ross based on the Australian Railways Union (n.d) (File 78) - Box 38
Series 10. Department of Post-War Reconstruction, 1944-49
The Department of Post-War Reconstruction was formed in December 1942. Its first Minister was J. B Chifley (December 1942-February 1945). Chifley was succeeded by J. J Dedman who was Minister from February 1945-1949. In September 1943, Ross joined the Department as Director of Public Relations on the recommendation of Chifley. He stayed with the Department until 1949 when the Chifley Government was defeated in the December elections. The Department was disbanded by the new Menzies Government in March 1950.
This series consists of memoranda, speeches and talks given by Ross on tours around Australia talking about the war effort and speeches written for J. J Dedman, the Minister. There are also a number of reports on various communities, postwar-reconstruction and planning.
Speeches written by Ross for the Minister, J. J. Dedman on re-training, re-construction and Australian industry. Most of the speeches are undated (File 4) - Box 40
Various papers, speeches and talks by Ross on re-construction, re-training and planning. Most of them are undated (File 5) - Box 40
'A community survey report of the city of Heidelberg, Victoria' compiled by an officer of the Community Centre section of the Ministry of Post-War Reconstruction, 1945 (File 7) - Box 40
Series 11. John Curtin: a biography, 1907-85
Ross began collecting material for a biography on John Curtin soon after his death in 1945. His research became a lifelong project and it was not until after his retirement that he was able to complete his work with the assistance of an editor. The book John Curtin: a biography was finally published in 1977 by Macmillan.
This series consists of correspondence, handwritten notes, typescript drafts with corrections, research and background notes and photocopies of archival documents. The correspondence includes letters by Ross seeking information on Curtin as well as letters written by Curtin (some originals and photocopies).
The drafts and accompanying notes of the biography are quite fragmented. While they have been organised in files, there is no sequential order of chapters and many appear to be out of order. While most pages have been numbered, on many occasions they have been renumbered and placed in a revised sequence. Due to the fragmented nature of the papers it is virtually impossible to identify the different versions of the biography.
Correspondence relating to the Curtin biography can also be found in Series 1.
Correspondence, 1945-47, requesting information on Curtin. The file also contains a number of telegrams received by and sent by John Curtin in 1941 (File 1) - Box 41
Correspondence, 1949-76, relating to research for the biography. Included is correspondence with Elsie Macleod, Curtin's daughter (File 2) - Box 41
Correspondence, 1958, relating to John Curtin. Most of the correspondence was written in response to a series of articles on Curtin which appeared in the Sun Herald (Sydney). The file also includes correspondence between Ross and Elsie Macleod, Curtin's daughter (File 3) - Box 41
Correspondence, 1973-76, and newscuttings relating to Curtin, General Douglas MacArthur and the war in the Pacific (File 4) - Box 41
Correspondence, 1974-85, mainly with Macmillan, relating to the publication of the biography and a memorandum of agreement (1977) (File 5) - Box 41
Drafts and notes. This material consists mainly of drafts of chapters. The material is fragmented and unfortunately it is difficult to identify which are the original drafts and which are later revisions (File 7-27) - Box 43
Research material and notes: typescript copies of letters written by Curtin to Jessie Gunn, 1907-09 (File 33) - Box 46
Research material and notes: correspondence, 1915-44, consisting of original letters written by Curtin, memorabilia and leaflets, 1921-43. The correspondents include Ben Chifley, Mary Gilmore, Walter Murdoch and E. J. Brady (File 34) - Box 46
Research material and notes: correspondence between Curtin and Frank Anstey, 1924-26, copies of correspondence between Curtin and E. G. Theodore, 1932, and newscuttings, 1922-40 (File 35-36) - Box 46
Research material and notes: copies of official letters received by or sent by Curtin, 1938-44. The file also contains correspondence (3 letters) between Curtin and E. G. Theodore, 1932-33 (File 37) - Box 46
Research material and notes: photocopies of government documents from Australian and American archival institutions mainly covering the war period (File 40-61) - Box 47
'Policy speech by the leader of the Opposition, Mr John Curtin, Wednesday, 28 August, 1940' (File 62) - Box 50
Series 12. 'Red blood and black ink: a biography of an Australian rebel –R. S. Ross' - Box 51-59
This series consists mainly of drafts and notes for a biography of Ross's father. Folder one contains biographical information and notes relating to Robert Samuel Ross. The remaining folders comprise drafts and notes. Unfortunately, most of the material in these folders is fragmented. As with the drafts in Series 11 the folders contain various chapters but they are not annotated or arranged in a sequential order. Most of the pages are not numbered and different revisions of the biography are difficult to identify.
Ross worked on the biography of his father in his retirement years and unfortunately it remained uncompleted at the time of his death in 1987.
This series comprises 9 boxes.
Series 13. Subject files, 1929-73
This series consists of pamphlets, reports and newscuttings on various subjects including arbitration, automation, containerisation, railways and wages.
Series 14. Newscuttings, 1904-75
Ross collected newscuttings of his own writings from the various newspapers he worked for including the Herald, articles written about him as State Secretary (NSW) of the Australian Railways Union and items of interest on a wide range of subjects including arbitration, automation, the economy, trade unions and wages. The original arrangement of the cuttings has been maintained and it has resulted in some overlap in the date range of the folders.
Series 15. Photographs, 1854-1980 - Box 67-68
This series consists of photographs belonging to Ross and his father, Robert Ross. Included are family photographs, group portraits taken at socialist activities attended by Robert Ross, group portraits from various labour conferences and congresses early last century, Lloyd Ross and other members of the Melbourne University Athletic Club (1922), and photographs of union functions and activities. There is also a folder of photographs which had been selected by Ross to accompany his father's biography and a series of photographs of various houses in Melbourne where Lloyd Ross spent his childhood and part of his adult life.
Photographs in Box 67 are part of the 1982 instalment of papers. Captions for this material have been supplied by Ross and a list can be found in the box. The box also contains some ink drawings of cartoons which appeared in the Worker. Only about half of the photographs in Box 68 contain captions. There is also a handmade cardboard sign advertising a Peace Conference (n.d.) in Box 68.
Photographs relating to John Curtin can be found in Series 11.
This series comprises 2 boxes.
Series 16. Committee of inquiry into recent mechanisation and other technological changes, 1958-63 - Box 69-73
In 1958 the Industrial Commission of New South Wales established an inquiry to look at recent mechanisation and other new technological processes being implemented in industry. The inquiry also looked at the effect of the new technology on employment and the transfer of labour within industry as a result of the new changes. Ross attended the inquiry and gave evidence on behalf of the Australian Railways Union (NSW Branch) and also the Combined Electricity Commission Unions (NSW).
This series consists of transcripts of hearings, 1958-59, submissions from the Australian Railways Union and Electricity Commission and research material and background notes relating to the inquiry.
This series comprises 5 boxes.
Series 17. Other papers, 1910-81
This series consists of miscellaneous correspondence, circulars, conference papers, journal articles, pamphlets and reports. It includes various reports on arbitration, industry, labour and wages, miscellaneous material on the Australian Labor Party and papers from conferences Ross has attended.
Journal articles by Alice Henry, 1910-26, reports on the workers' educational movement in England, Europe and Australia resulting from a study tour in 1924 and issues of Life and Labor Bulletin (1922-24) which cover the activities of the National Women's Trade Union League and events in the Labor Movement in the United States of America (File 1-2) - Box 74
Y Club Minutes, 1918-40, and a small handmade pamphlet on the club made in 1924. Ross's father was a member at this time and has signed the book along with other members (File 3) - Box 74
Circulars and correspondence relating to the Australian Labor Party Unity Conference (1939) and notes for an 'ALP Course in Labor Leadership' held in conjunction with the Australian Railways Union, (n.d) (File 4) - Box 74
'Survey of absenteeism: report and recommendations': report by the Department of Labour of Labour and National Service, 1943 (File 5) - Box 74
Australian Council of Trade Unions Congress, Sydney, NSW, 19 September, 1949: agenda and recommendations (File 7) - Box 74
'The Federated Ironworkers Association of Australia – the activities of and within from 1944-49': an essay by G. W. Frost, 1949 (File 8) - Box 74
Precis of addresses given at Australia's first Trade Union School, held at Newport, NSW, 15 – 24 February 1952 (File 10) - Box 75
Basic wage case, 1952-53: statement of H. P Brown to the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration (File 11) - Box 75
Bibliographic material and miscellaneous reports, journal articles and court judgements, 1955-76 (File 12) - Box 75
Survey and analysis of 'Wage rates in the Sydney Metropolitan Branch' by the Federated Ironworkers' Association of Australia, 1956. David Ross (Ross's son), an assistant research officer with the Association was co-author of the report. The file also contains drafts of a paper by Ross on 'Australian trade unionism in transition' (n.d) (File 13) - Box 75
Reports and circulars relating to the Australian Labor Party annual conference (1959) and other articles, newscuttings and miscellaneous material on the Labor Party (File 14) - Box 75
SEATO Seminar on 'Countering Communist Subversion', Baguio, Philipines, 28 November, 1957. The file includes a program, information circulars, correspondence and travel documents (File 15) - Box 75
Australian Labor Party, New South Wales Branch, Annual Conference: circulars reporting on the 1959 and 1960 conferences (File 16) - Box 76
Australian Association for Cultural Freedom: correspondence, minutes of meetings and notes, 1960-68 (File 17) - Box 76
Australian Political Studies Association, Third Conference, Sydney, August 1961: various papers (File 18) - Box 76
Australian Council of Trade Unions Congress, Sydney, NSW, 28 August-1 September, 1967: agenda, minutes and notes (File 19) - Box 76
Federated Ironworkers' Association of Australia Annual National Conference, 1967: Research Department's report (File 20) - Box 76
Various papers produced by the University of New England, Department of University Extension, 1967-1969 (File 21) - Box 76
Articles and circulars on the Vietnam War and the National Service scheme, 1967-1970 (File 22) - Box 76
Transcripts of four speeches given by Gough Whitlam in 1968 on the budget, Vietnam, Labor's policies and health services (File 23) - Box 76
Australian Council of Trade Unions Congress, Sydney, NSW, 8-12 September, 1969: agenda, minutes, notes and report (File 24) - Box 77
Various economic monographs produced by the Economic Society of Australia and New Zealand, New South Wales Branch, 1969-72 and some notices of meetings, 1970-72 (File 25) - Box 77
Circulars, statements and information leaflets on transport issues in New South Wales, 1975-78. The file also includes correspondence between Ross and Hunter's Hill Council, 1975-77, relating to meetings of the Public Transport Advisory Council (File 26) - Box 77
Post-War Reconstruction Seminar, Australian National University, Canberra, 31 August – 4 September, 1981: papers (File 27) - Box 77
'The Victorian political Labour Council and the first conscription campaign, 1915-17': paper by L. Benham (n.d) (File 28) - Box 77
Series 18. Newspapers and journals, 1896-1943 - Box 78-98
Robert Ross (Ross's father) was editor of various newspapers and magazines. This series consists of various issues of these newspapers and others relating to socialism and labour. They include the Australian Worker, Barrier Truth, Butchers' Journal, The Champion, Labor Call, Queensland Sportsman, Ross's Magazine, Socialist and Union Voice. Some of the holdings are quite substantial while others are only one-off issues.
This series comprises 21 boxes.
Series 19. Other printed material, 1854-1973 - Box 99-115
This series comprises printed material consisting of books, pamphlets and journals belonging to Ross and his father, Robert Ross. Included are works by Charles Dickens, Jack London, H. G. Wells and numerous works by G. D. H Cole on socialism, labour and industry. Many of the books contain inscriptions and annotations and were gifts from friends or acquaintances.
While the majority of works fall under the subject category of economics, labour and socialism there are some works of biography, fiction and poetry. Some of them were Christmas presents to Lloyd Ross from his mother.
This series comprises 17 boxes.
Series 20. Manuscripts by others, 1943-50
P. J O'Farell, 'The Australian Socialist League and the Labour Movement, 1877-91': typescript (n.d) (File 1) - Box 116
H. V Evatt, 'The case of the Dorchester labourers: a study of injustice within the law': typescript (n.d) (File 3) - Box 116
Series 21. Papers of R S Ross, 1876-31
Robert Samuel Ross, Lloyd Ross's father, was born in Sydney in 1873. When he was 12, he moved to Queensland with his parents where his father Robert Maxwell Ross, a compositor from Scotland, was to edit a paper. As a young man Ross took up his father's profession and later became editor of the Barrier Truth (Broken Hill) and The Socialist (Melbourne). In 1915 he launched his own magazine, Ross's Monthly which survived until 1924 when it was incorporated into the Union Voice (Melbourne) with Ross as editor.
A pacifist and international socialist, Ross was secretary of the Victorian Socialist Party for several years. During World War I he was an active campaigner against conscription. Ross was also a member of the Y Club and ran Ross's Book Service which offered a wide variety of literature. He died in 1931 after a long and active career in the Victorian Labour Movement.
This series consists of correspondence, leaflets, magazines, minute books, newscuttings and pamphlets relating to some of the socialist and labour organisations with which Ross was actively involved.
Scrapbook of newspaper contributions (1876) by Robert Mitchell Ross (father of Robert Samuel Ross) which appeared in the Queensland Agriculturalist and Family Journalist. Ross was proprietor of the journal and also of the Darling Downs Gazette. Some of the cuttings are by other newspapers giving favourable comments on the journal (File 1) - Box 117
Various papers relating to the New Australia and Cosme colonies which were established in Paraguay by William Lane in 1892. They include a copy of Evening Notes written by Mary Cameron (later Mary Gilmore) in 1893 and copies of Cosme Monthly (1895) and Cosme (1901, 1903). There are also photographs of the colonies and other items of ephemera. The file also contains an article on William Lane and press cuttings on Mary Gilmore (1945, 1950) which were added to the file at a later date by Lloyd Ross (File 2) - Box 117
Newscuttings album, 1896-1904. The album was given to Ross by Tom Mann in 1904 and contains cuttings about Mann and his activities in Australia and overseas (File 4) - Box 118
Miscellaneous correspondence, 1897-1924, leaflets and newscuttings. The correspondence includes letters written to J. P Jones who was President of the Victorian Socialist Club in 1905-7. He had earlier been a Founding Secretary of Tocsin. Two of the letters are by Tom Mann (1906, 1909). The file also contains a photograph with the caption 'First office – The Worker' (File 6) - Box 118
Correspondence and financial material relating to the Tocsin Printing and Publishing Co-operative Society, 1898-1910, an issue of Tocsin, 1905, and various issues of other labour newspapers (File 7) - Box 118
Newscuttings, 1903-9, including cuttings on Tom Mann. There is a also a program for a series of lectures given by Mann in 1898 and an attendance ticket (File 9) - Box 118
Copy of the novel Rigby's Romance, which appeared in the Barrier Truth (1905-6 in a serialised format), consisting of newspaper cuttings which have been pasted into an exercise book. The file also contains a photograph of Joseph Furphy who wrote under the pseudonym 'Tom Collins'. A letter in the exercise book written by Kate Baker, a close friend of Furphy, states that the original manuscript was given to Ross as a gift by the author (File 10) - Box 118
Minute book of the Barrier Socialist Group, 1908-09. Ross was a member of the group (File 11) - Box 119
Leaflets and pamphlets, 1912-17, including many relating to the conscription issue during World War I, galley proofs of articles for Ross's Magazine and an issue of Labor Call, 1922 (File 13) - Box 119
Published works: The tragic story of the Waihi Strike, Wellington, The Worker Printery, 1913; Czar alcohol: our next move, by H. R Bowles with foreword by R. S Ross, Melbourne, Ross' Book Service, 1920 and Labor and drink: the case for nationalism against prohibition, Melbourne, Union Voice Office, 1930 (File 14) - Box 119
Newscutting album, 1914-16, with the inscription 'Philip L Jones, 8 August 1916' inside the front cover (File 15) - Box 119
Newscuttings album, 1915-16, including reviews of Ross's Magazine when it was first published in November 1915 (File 16) - Box 120
Three notebooks consisting of notes and poems on socialism and general poetry. One of them contains both handwritten and cuttings of poems with Ross's name on the inside cover. It is dated 1899 (File 20) - Box 120
Three images of socialists in Pentridge Gaol (n.d). The first two items are photographs which have been painted over. The captions read: 'Comrades honoured by residence in Pentridge' and 'Boys of the Socialist Fighting Brigade'. The third item is a postcard of Tom Mann in a prison uniform. The caption reads:'Melbourne Gaol Series – the fight for free speech' (File 21) - Box 120
Series 22. Papers of Frank Anstey, 1912-34
Frank Anstey (1865-1940) was born in London. When he was 11, he stowed away on a ship bound for Australia. Soon after reaching Sydney, he became a cabin boy on a ship trading around the Pacific Islands. He returned to Australia in the 1880s and later became an active supporter of socialism. He wrote for the Tocsin and its successor, The Labour Call. In 1902 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Victoria as Labor representative for East Bourke. He was re-elected in 1904 and again in 1907. One of Anstey's strongest supporters at this time was John Curtin, later Prime Minister of Australia.
In 1910 Anstey entered the House of Representatives as member for Bourke, and held the seat until his retirement in 1934. He became well known as an able speaker especially during World War I when he strongly opposed conscription.
This series consists of manuscripts by Anstey. It is not known how they came to be given to Lloyd Ross. Some of the manuscripts contain notations indicating they may have been written to be a part or chapter of a lengthier manuscript.
Correspondence between Curtin and Anstey can also be found in Series 11.