Raid on the Queensland Government Printing Office

The aim of the raid was to confiscate any copies of the Hansard, the official parliamentary transcript, which documented anti-conscription sentiments that had been aired in the state's parliament.

However, as the war dragged on and it became evident that victory would not be achieved quickly or easily, the initial enthusiasm for the conflict waned and recruitment rates began to decline.

The split became serious by 1917, with Ryan acknowledged as the de facto leader of those advocating a "No" vote in the 1917 plebiscite on conscription, and the state and federal government at odds on other issues including industrial disputes, price controls, and coastal shipping.

Some of these censorship measures were unorthodox even for the time; the public performance of I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier was prohibited, a ban that was openly flouted by radical anti-conscription campaigner Cecilia John.

Hughes then informed Ryan that while there was "nothing worth censoring" in his own speeches, the anti-conscription materials of Theodore and his fellow minister John Fihelly were objectionable and would not be allowed to be distributed.

Cummings was an ardent conscriptionist, and disclosed to Hughes that Ryan had ordered him to ignore any censorship instructions that he might receive, and that if the Army were to attempt to enter the printing office by force, the Queensland Police would "offer every assistance in their power" to prevent them from doing so.

[10] Upon learning this, an alarmed Stable, not wanting the situation to descend into violence,[11] cabled Hughes and asked if there were any way to solve the problem without resorting to armed force.

[13] In addition to the direct confrontation at the Printing Office, Hughes also attacked Ryan and Theodore through the courts, charging them for having made false statements in relation to the availability of volunteer reinforcements.