N.S.W. POLITICS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18898, 13 January 1927, Page 6

N.S.W. POLITICS.

CHILD ENDOWMENT SCHEME. GOVERNMENTS' ELECTION CARD (FROM. OUR OWX COEBESr-O.NDEKT.) SYDNEY, January 6. Although the Government is again pursuing the even tenor, of its course, and is safe in recess for a, few days, the general opinion among lobbyists is that the Premier (Mr Lang) himself favours an early election in order to clarifv the political atmosphere. It i* the details of the family, endowment scheme, which will have to negotiate both Houses before it can become law, which the public is now awaiting with special interest. Cabinet will be called upon to consider the adoption of a scheme which will apply to all who have families and who receive up to £SOO a year, but it is considered likelv that something in the neighbourhood of £4OO will be the maximum adopted. The Government, it is believed, will insist that the money paid out in child endowment shall be paid to the mother, and not to the father. It is probably a wise precaution, although it will be quite a siniple process for mother to pass it over to father. However, the Government is trusting to the honour of the community in the matter.

Those among the Government who favour an early election, would_ welcome a really strong issue on which to .20 to the people. The Legislative Council knows this, and has declined to interfere with Labour's programme since Parliament re-assembled. it might feel like amending the child endowment scheme in its incidence, but it is hardly likely to reject it. The Government is building on the endowment scheme as a, strong political card at the next elections, but this is likely to be discßunted somewhat by reason of the dissatisfaction to which the scheme will inevitably .give rise, a<= a consequence of the resultant wage discrimination. Take families with only one child. They'will reap little benefit from the scheme, for while the allowance for that child will probably be 6s, the increased cost of living might easily be well over 4s.