COMMONWEALTH ELECTION CAMPAIGN.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1743, 7 May 1913, Page 6

COMMONWEALTH ELECTION CAMPAIGN.

The election and Referenda struggle now proceeding in Australia is being contested with a good deal of bitterness on both sides. There appears, to be a very general impression that the attempt of the Government to change the Constitution and open the door to the pro-' jeets of the Federal Labour party will be. defeated, but the result- of the Parliamentary election contest is more ' difficult tcj anticipate. Liberty and Progress, an antiSocialistic organ frankly opposed to the Labour Caucus, declares that the expected wave of enthusiasm in favour of Labour is conspicuous by its absence, and it quotes some facts in support of its contention that the Government have lost ground. It anticipatesthat the Government will lose seats in all the States cj«cept West Australia, and it gives some figures which, while they can hardly bo said to be convincing to the unbiassed onlooker, are not without weight, For instance, it points out that although the Government's victory in 1910 was so sweeping in actual seats won, the actual number of votes polled by the two parties was comparatively small. Taking tho Senate vptc as a guide, it states there was only a majority for Labour throughout the whole Oom-monw-ealth of 10,000 votes. Twelve months later the Government were completely routed on the Referenda proposals; six months after their defeat on the Referenda proposals they were decisively beaten at the Boothby by-election (Adelaide), a Labour stronghold. In eighteen months the Labour majority of 42d0 votes was turned into a Liberal majority of 2628, a turnover of 6568 votes. "The Labour Ministry in South Australia has also been badly beaten since the last Federal elections, and the New South AVales Labour Government has also suffered a parlous time, while at the last elections in Victoria the Labour party lost- some of the few seats it holds in the Victorian State Parliament. These facts are'cheering forward the supporters of the Liberal party, and maybe I hey have also aroused the Government to the necessity for putting forth - every effort-, for o most strenuous campaign is being conducted by both parties. The Government is' likely to benefit by a possible split in Victoria on the fiscal question. The Melbourne Ayr, which undoubtedly is a powerful influence in Victorian politics, is not inclined to favour free-trade candidates whatever party they may belong to, and this is embarrassing some of the Opposition candidates in Victoria. A buoyant revenue, due to the prosperous times and tho increased contributions from the States, is also a good card which the Government have to play. A two-and-a-half million surplus sounds very fine and big. and Mr. Fisheii has announced 'this as his estimate for the current year's operations, which, seeing that the financial year ends in June, may be expected to be very near the actual result. With many of the public a large.surplus is taken as an evidence of skilled finance, mid the F)sin-:n Government is making the most of its flourishing Finance!