COMMENT ON ELECTION OF N.S.W. PREMIER

Chronicle (Levin), 7 February 1947, Page 5

COMMENT ON ELECTION OF N.S.W. PREMIER

♦ — SYDXKY, Fob. (i. Several aspects oi' tlie electiun of Mr. Jame.s XIoGirr to tio* jiosition of Premier of Xew Scmtli Wales have drawn inuch coinnient in Hydiiey. The Telegraph suvs that rank aml lile nienibers of the State Parliament ary Labour Party "bueked" the party maehine to elect Xlr. XlcGirr. It is noted hy all papers that only tw 0 Xlini.sters voted for XI r. XleGirr, and that Xlr. XleKell, as GovernorGeneral designate rau the risk of eensure in order to vote for Mr. Ilell'ron. XI r. XleKell and the Attornev-General (Xlr. Xfartin; were so sure- of Xlr. Heffrou's elect ion that Xlr. Xlartin informed the Press bet'oreliaiid that it was certain. The Telegraph reports that after eongratulating Xlr. XleGirr, Xlr. XleKell strode from the room, his x'act wu.ie with anger. Hinting that the defeat of Xlr. Ileffron was due to a last-minute whispering campaign, that he was the noininee of big business pressure groups, the Telegraph predicts a faction light in the .State Labour Party. The Opposition leatter > Xlr. Treatlj eoniinented that ihe result of the election was a victory for the industrial extreniists over ihe niodemtes, and that the aet of the Governor-General designate iu associating hiuiself with a political faction light " set an all-thne low in political discretion. ' ' Recalling XFr. XlcGirr 's associat ion with Xlr. Lang, he said that ihe situation had :ill the ingredients for a retufn to the conditions which preceded the last Labour defeat in 1932. Xlr. Ilell'ron made it clear that he would loyally serve under Xlr. XlcGirr.