Ross Collection

The Ross Collection contains 1,576 pamphlets, leaflets, speeches, newspaper and serial issues published from 1892 to 1970. The strength is trade unionism, particularly the Australian Railways Union, socialism, left-wing parties in Australia and other economic and labour issues. Also included are the papers of Lloyd Ross and his father the socialist journalist RS Ross including correspondence, scrapbooks, minute books and photographs.

Government and politics Transport

Key items in the collection

Highlights from this collection demonstrate its historical significance and variety.

The Lloyd Ross Collection contains 1,576 items published between 1892 and 1970:

pamphlets
leaflets
speeches
issues of newspapers and serials
newspaper cuttings.

A majority of them are Australian imprints, but there are a significant number of New Zealand and European imprints as well.

The greatest strength of the collection is trade unionism and particularly the Australian Railways Union.

There are also many publications on:

socialism
Marxism
communism
the Australian Labor Party
the Socialist Party of Victoria
the Industrial Groups
the New Zealand Labour Party
conscription
civil liberties
industrial regulation and disputes
employment and unemployment
post-war reconstruction
economic policy
the railways
the Vietnam War
Irish nationalism.

Among the Australian politicians and political activists represented in the collection are:

Frank Anstey
Maurice Blackburn
HE Boote
Arthur Calwell
EW Campbell
Brian Fitzpatrick
William McKell
AB Piddington
PR Stephenson
BA Santamaria
LL Sharkey.

Overseas writers include:

John Burns
CH Douglas
Henry George
JM Keynes
Petr Kropotkin
Tom Mann
Karl Marx
Bernard Shaw
Joseph Stalin
Ben Tillett.

The collection also contains a number of books that had been collected by Ross and his father. In particular, they owned many works of the English socialist historian GDH Cole. Other authors include:

Edward Bernstein
William Beveridge
HE Boote
EJ Brady
Brian Fitzpatrick
Jean Jaures
Karl Kautsky
Henry Lawson
Jack London
Tom Mann
William Morris
Vance Palmer
HG Wells.

Ross inherited an important archive of papers from his father, RS Ross, including:

correspondence
notebooks
scrapbooks
minute books
leaflets
newspaper cuttings
photographs.

He also owned manuscripts and papers of the politician and journalist Frank Anstey (1865–1940), including correspondence with John Curtin. While writing the biography of Curtin, he acquired a small amount of correspondence of Curtin's, including letters of EG Theodore and JB Chifley.

The papers of Ross cover his entire life and include:

correspondence
diaries
personal memorabilia
notebooks
memoranda
subject files
lectures
addresses
newspaper cuttings
photographs
reports
research material
typescripts.

There are large series on the Workers Educational Association, the Australian Railways Union and the Department of Post-war Reconstruction.

The Library holds interviews recorded with Ross by:

Suzanne Walker in 1973
Richard Raxworthy and Michael Easson in 1986.

About Lloyd Ross

Lloyd Maxwell Ross (1901–1987) was born in Brisbane, the son of the socialist journalist RS Ross (1873–1931).

Education and early career

He was educated at Melbourne High School, the University of Melbourne and later at the University of New Zealand, where he gained a doctorate.

In 1925, he was appointed a tutor in adult education at the Workers Educational Association at Dunedin.

Ross returned to Australia in 1933 and worked for the Workers Educational Association in Newcastle, before taking up the post of Assistant Director of Tutorial Classes at Sydney University.

Union and political involvement

Elected secretary of the Australian Railways Union in 1935, Ross became deeply involved in Labor movements.

He joined the Communist Party the same year but was expelled in 1941 due to his opposition to the German–Soviet Pact. Later, he aligned with the right wing of the Australian Labor Party and led the Australian Association for Cultural Freedom from 1961 to 1968.

Public relations and journalism

Between 1943 and 1949, Ross was Director of Public Relations in the Department of Post-war Reconstruction, supporting John Curtin during World War II.

Ross later worked as a journalist before returning to union leadership in 1952, remaining secretary until his retirement in 1969.

Writing and legacy

Ross wrote several plays and numerous pamphlets. He was the author of:

He worked on a biography of his father, which was unfinished at the time of his death.

Background to the collection

The Lloyd Ross Collection was purchased by the Library in 3 instalments in 1974, 1979 and 1982 and includes:

books
pamphlets
manuscripts
personal papers.

The pamphlets in the Ross Collection have been kept together as a collection within the Australian Collection. Each work has been catalogued individually – the call numbers have the prefix 'ROSS'.

The manuscripts, personal papers and books, which occupy 121 boxes, are housed in the Manuscripts Collection. The books and other printed material are in Series 19 (17 boxes). Use the finding aid.

The 2 interviews are held in the Oral History and Folklore Collection.

This guide was prepared using this reference: