To break 'the trinity' or 'wipe out the smaller fry' : the Australian Pearl Shell Convention of 1913

This article traces the events and explains the circumstances that led to the signing of the Pearl Shell Convention of 1913. It delves into the sometimes bitter controversies and debates that divided turn-of-the-twentieth-century Australian pearl-shellers, and which worked against them ever cooperating to achieve an organised market. These divisions also shaped the general public's perception of the industry, and when translated through the democratic process into government policy, this also adversely affected the industry's ability to solve its market problems. Investigation of the Convention also invites a broader reassessment of our historical understanding of Australian pearl-shelling, which has been shaped largely by the interpretation and assessment of the strategies shellers adopted to survive in a volatile and uncertain economic and political environment.