Writing On Wall For Australian Labour?

Chronicle (Levin), 1 December 1949, Page 5

Writing On Wall For Australian Labour?

Received Thursday, 10.55 a.m. SYDNEY, Dec. 1. The New Zealand election result is expected by the Opposition tp have a vital effect on Australian polling on December 10. When the news reached Liperal Party meetings late last night crowds clapped and cheered. At Randwick the Liberal mernber of the New South WaJes Legislative Assembly, Mfc. K. ElllsA said1: "This news seals the doom of tlie Chifley Government in AustraHa. The New Zealand Labour Government has gone the way of all socialist imposters." Mr. E. Darby, a member of the Legislative Assembly, sai'd that the result surprised him as he thought Labour was more solid in New' Zealand than in Australia. "This is the writing on the wall for Mr. Chifley," he added. "Happy Omen." Commenting on the result in Melbourne, the Leader of the Commonwealth Opposition, Mr. R. G. Menzies, described it as. "a happy omen" and said: ' "The, soeialists were brought into power in New Zealand, Australia and Great Britain in that order. This tramatic result seems an omen that they will go out in the same Drder." A large au'dience in Tamworth fiieered wheh the Leader- of the Country Party, Mr. W. "Fadden, :old them that the Nationalists lad won the New Zealand elecions. "It is the death knell of :he socialist Government in Aus:ralia," said Mr. Fadden. "It is ihe collapse of the first leg of the :ocialist tripod— New Zealand, the Jnited Kingdom and Australia." Mr. Chifley was a'ddressing a neeting of 2000 persops at Ade-, aide when the news canie hrough, but no reference was nade to the New Zealand eleeions at the meeting. Later he efused to comment. The only Labour yiew available

is that of Mr. McGirr, Premier of New South Wales, who said: "No ' doubt vested interests, with the power that money can .exercise, induced a section of the community to transfer its allegience from a Government that has served well." • Significance For Australia. In a front page editorial, the Sydney Telegraph says: "The defeat is a blow to socialism .throughout the British Empire. . Empire countries populated by predpminantly British stock have shown a tendency to think along similar political lines. New Zealand elected its first Labour Government in 1935. Two years later the Australian elections revealed a drift towards Labour , and the Labour Government took offlce in 1041. In 1945 there was a landslide to Labour at the British elections. Now the swing back from socialism has begun in New : Zealand.. "New Zealanders, who for the past 14 years have seen Labour s'teadily socialising their country and creating a state of mediocrity, have decided that they will have ' no more of it," added the article. The Sydney Herald says: "The significance for Australia of the result is all the greater because of tfie remar-kably close plirallel be- ■ tween ihe campaigns in the two countries. Like Mr. Chifley,, Mr. Fraser stood on his record and ' relied on raising fears of unempioyment and depression to secure •his return to power. Mr. Holland countered with a constructive programme foased on free enterprise. "At least it can be said for Mr. Fraser that he had less temerity in relying on hjis record than has Mr. Chifley, for Labour in New Zealand has not been guilty of so flagrant an act as the Commonwealth Government's attempts to nationalise banking without re- i ference to the people."