NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1933, 16 December 1913, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

The Second Ballots", have proved very useful,-to.the.Labour party,. inNew South. Wales. The ..full returns are not yet : available,.: but it --iis already clear , beyond all that the, Labour Government:., is to have another" term'of;, office.Even should all the remaining 'five'electorates ' vote ■ Liberal,■; Mn.'i Hoi-man will have a . small but' ''a' ; working majority, and '.will ■ be - in"*aT slightlybetter position' than.-;.when';'he .went to the:polls!. : The result is to a certain extent a surprise..;;?At the -Federal elections-a month or - two ago the Liberal party made, a;'distinct gain in New , South -Wales,;and outvoted Labour! -..'.lt'was thought, in consequence, ..that in the State elec-' tions the Labour Government would be defeated. -Instead, of this happening it has, as already stated, improved its position, and is assured of., another : term of office. The reason for this seeming inconsistency on the part of tho electors of New South Wales is perhaps to be found in the fact that the Leader of the Liberal party in- that State does not appear to possess the qualities of leadership which appeal to the average elector. He is said to lack the art of pleasing, and in addition he has been engaged recently in a good deal of political and personal squabbling of a nature not- likely to enhance the chances of his party. However, whatever' the _ cause, New South Wales has decided iu favour of another term of -Labour Government. . Mr. Hickey and the other gentlemen who have been clamouring for the Railway Servants to join the ■list, of victims of. the muddlers who are responsible for the present industrial trouble should be interested in what- the official organ of.. the Railway employees thinks of lied Federation methods. That journal not mince its language when dealing with the Hcd.Flaggers, and their attempt to embroil t»c .Railway ! Servants and intimidate the. public with the threat of a railway strike. Here are some extracts from, its remarks: In an excess of blind folly, leaders of tho Federation of Labour did tlieir best to involve this Railway Service in that general madness called a general strike. They deliberately planned to undermine the wise restraining influence of the Executive Council and its officers, wlio had kept their heads cool throughout the turmoil. By wilful misrepresentation, by llorid bombast, by vulgar and iutimi(ktor.v language, they endeavoured to tot the members and the branches against the . l-aiiwayinen's leaders, but not in a single instance di'd they find fools to their hands. It_ was a magnificent example of the solidarity of sane unionism, upon which we congratulate every member of the Amalgamated Society Wo will not trouble to explain tho shady process bv which this terrifying menace [of a Railway sympathy strike] was constructed. The public has realised that it is a lath-and-plaster bos,v. Tho community has never lost, its faith in the capacity of the railwayman of New Zealand to withstand bounce and bombast, and the lures of the syndicalist who finds weird joy in the process of starving everybody, including himself." Thv Railway Servants, judged by their 1 official organ, seem to have summed up the Red Federation very accurately.- ■' ■ fV Amongst'- the, matters brought before the House of Representatives in ' the final vvashirig-up proccss yesterday was the Supplementary Order Paper, containing the answers to questions which in tho ordinary course of events would have been discussed last Wednesday. Amongst the number was a question put by Mr.. Isitt, based on a confidential letter from the secretary of the Reform League, asking- certain persons to'take steps to secure the passing of citizens' resolutions of protest . against the stonewalling tactics _ of the Opposition during a_ critical stage of the present industrial crisis. A copy of this confidential letter appears! to have been stolen, and found its way into the hands of one of the Opposition journals, which published it in full, with such comments as might have been expected from such a quarter. As- a matter of fact, tho letter was a ' harmless enough political effort, being, as stated, "an endeavour to strengthen tho hands of the Government during the present crisis in the affairs of the country," Unfortunately, for the gentleman who appears to have taken on himself the responsibility of sending the letter, he concludes with this sentence: "Please treat this letter as strictly confidential, 1 and let any action you may take in ; the matter appear to ' come from yourself."'- This suggestion, that he should not-be made.to figure in the matter'of., any protests forwarded has been eagerly , seized on by . the opponents'of the • Government, who nrofess to believe-that the secretary of . the . League hag thus tacitly f admitted that lie was'improperly nulling strings, - or-.'something of.-tlie kind. It course, open to ■the : opponents of- the.'-Reform Party to';- make the,; ni";'. nf ■ any.; kind ,of twist,.(hey--can give*to.the,-letter;:'but; v.-r suspect that fh" 'puMie.";inv sutii ; . cicntly.• ia.mil inr -with tbe n^tboda';.of' political . parties .and.-political, or-

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