The Visit of Major C. H. Douglas to Adelaide in 1934

Abstract To many people in the 1920s and 1930s, conventional economics had failed with socialists arguing for a completely new system such as the Douglas Social Credit Movement established by Major C. H. Douglas in the mid-1920s. The announcement that Douglas would be visiting Adelaide, South Australia in 1934, led to supporters and detractors of the social credit movement arguing their case via contributions to newspapers; views diverse in quality and reflecting the uncertain state of thinking at the time. While Douglas had made headway in New Zealand, including an invitation to appear before a government committee, in Australia, and particularly in South Australia, Douglas’ theories, although supported by a range of people, appeared less well understood with his supporters struggling to explain the core ideas of the Douglas Social Credit Movement. This may be a reason for Douglas’ less than favourable comment about the Social Credit Movement in South Australia.