The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1910. THE COMING COMMONWEALTH ELECTIONS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 713, 12 January 1910, Page 4

The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1910. THE COMING COMMONWEALTH ELECTIONS.

, Political .parties in the Common-/ wealth are beginning to bestir themBolves in. propagation for tho Gen-eral-Elections, which take place in April. i: . Some concern: is expressed respecting the front which the Coalition Government will present to the forces of the Labour-Socialist party, and fears have been raised that there may be: a lack of un ison amongst. the Government following. Tho fusion of the Deakin-Cook parties, ! while it has served to lift Federal politics out of the absurd position into which they had drifted under • three-party conditions, and..while it r also 1 has been . productive of - aehiovemente which must prove of lasting, benefit, has not been an en- ' tirely happy event. There were discordant elements in the two parties which could not be hoped to 1 blend. Certainly fusion, enabled the Government :to carry., through its pro-" posals, but there was a good deal of friction in the process, and the loyalty of some members was, soverely strained. ,: The. position may prove i embarrassing ■ to: . individual mem-1 bers in many instances, for the reason that they will have to account to their constituents for their alliance with a party to which they wero bitterly .antagonistic at the last elections.: Tho general opinion appears to bo, :however, that the people on the whole were very glad to see the deadlock creatcd by the 1 three-party system! removed) and that public opinion in this respect has been strengthened by the excellent rccord of work done under the now conditions during, the session of Parliament which ended last month; Something like 30 Bills .were passed'by the Government; some of them of tho highest importance. Tho Naval Loan Bill, providing for a local navy.; tho Dcfenco Bill; which marked) the beginning of a compul-' sory system of military.- dofence; a Bill providing for a satisfactory settlement of tho financial disputation which has created strong feeling between the Commonwealth: and the States; and the Capital Site Bill wore , amongst : their legislative achievements. Tho Labour-Socialists, on the other hand, have found themselves as a result, of the fusion in a hopeless- minority. They have; nevertheless, fought stronuously, and at times bitterly, and have mado the task of the Government an oxtrcmclyv difficult one.. They aro firmly united amongst. themselves; their organisa-: tion throughout the country is much more complcto than that of the Government, and they naturally hope to I score through tho difficulties which ! may be expected to confront their ] oppononts through the splitting of i votes in many electorates; In tho circumstances, the friends of the Government aro urging that no time should bo lost, in setting out to educate tho country as to tho issues involved' in .the coming struggle. There appears to be overy prospect of a bitter fight ahead.