THE REFERENDA DEFEAT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1128, 16 May 1911, Page 6

THE REFERENDA DEFEAT.

— * ; WHY THE LABOUR I'ARTY LOST (Ey TelcEraph.-SDecial Correspondent.' Auckland, May 15. Mr. F. M. B. Fisher, M.P., returned from a visit to Australia by yesterday"! steamer. Asked what ho thought was tho cans* of the defeat of the Referenda proposals; Mr. Fisher said that in his opinion it was attributable to two or three very important reasons. One was that tho Roj terenda was regarded by the commercial section of the community as being an, attack upon their interests. They had banded together and subscribed largo lighting funds, with (ho result that tho campaign was more vigorous than anything of the kind ever seen in Australia before. Another reason was that at tho last general elections a very strong feeling, was running on nccount of the Dea-kin-Cook fusion, and, in Mr. Fisher's opinion, there is no doubt that tens of thousands of people who, at the general elections, voted against tho Deakiu party wore this time voting against (he proposals U' the Labour party. Probably the most sigiiili'eant reason of all,' however, was the tact that there was a very strong split amongst tho Labour following. Mr. M'Gowen, Premier of New South Wales, and practically tha father qf the Australian Labour party, had expressed himself as emphatically against the proposals, and Mr. W. A. liolman, the New South Wales AttorneyGeneral, and probably the most conspicuous figure in Labour politics in tha Commonwealth, had opposed as long as he was able the attitude taken up by Mr. Hughes. There was no doubt, added Mr. Fisher, that,-right through (ho continent there was to-day a feeling of great thankfulness that, the Referenda issues were not endorsed at. the polls, aud no one was more thoroughly delighted with tho result tlian the strongest sccliou of the Labour party in New South Wales. They appeared to be (ho only section of (he Labour party in Australia to realise that the carrying of the Referenda proposals meant tho oxtinciiou of Statu Parliaments and the probablo extinction of the wages boards. Referring to election methods, Mr. Fisher said one could not fail to be struck by the difference between the tactics employed bv sections of the Labour party in 'Australia and the conditions thai' usually exist here. In (he Commonwealth 'quite a large sccliou of (ho Labour party ngajded it ns hypocrisy of Iho deepest dye lo dare lo go ou tho platform and oppose a parly mandate. It was not an uncnimon thing to ind public meetings turned into absolute pandemoniums by men who were determined that the right to free speech only existed in the interests ni ho parly to which thev belonged. "I (limit Iho intolerance of the Labour parly at many of the meetings did a pi-eat deal to swell the majority ugaii'st I hem, said Mr. Fisher, "the sense of fair play a.»™-«t the public resenting die attitude (ha! Labour advocates too "reoly adopted.'.'