REJECTS AND THE BALLOT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3003, 14 February 1917, Page 8

REJECTS AND THE BALLOT

Sir.—On going through the Gazette for the 4th ballot this morning, I was very much surprised to find my name therein. About three weeks or more ago, Sir James Allen made a statement which was published in your paper that rejects could rc-enlist, and whether passed or not tlieir names would be removed from the ballot roll.

I therefore re-enlisted on January 29, 1017. and was passed, as medically fit, but the Defence Department evidently did not bother to have my name withdrawn from the ballot, and also m.v name did not appear in the daily papers <is a voluntary recruit, the reason for this omission being unknown to me. I was quite willing to do my "bit" early n 1.915. and still am. but feel justified in asking you to publish this letter'. Thanking' you in anticipation,—l am, ALBERT HENRY, HATFIELD.

AN ERRONEOUS MESSAGE , THE STURT -BY-ELECTION. Sir, —In your issue of the sth instant you published a cablegram, the. purport of whii§ Stated that the Political Labour League's candidates in the Sturt by-election seat of the New South. Wales ■ Parliament was defeated. I doubted the truth of the statement at that time, but; awaited .the official result before doiug anything in the matter. Therefore, will you bo kind enough to publish fclio following result, which speaks for itself, and also shows that not much ercdit can bo placed upoii cablegrams, especially those relating to the Labour movement. P. Brooklield (Labour) 3301 B. J. Dec (Independent) .... 2739 J. T. Evans (Independent)... 26 These figures show that instead of the Labour man being defeated he won the scat by a handsome majority, and' is an object lesson to all the politicians who are at the. present moment •in Australia, endeavouring to form all sorts of alliances, instead pf having an appeal to the country, for they know that when the people are given of expressing their opinions through the ballot boS it will he good-bye to quite a lot of jerrymandering politicians. —I am, etc., " „ E. KENNEDY. 80' Manners Street^.

1 FOnr correspondent is correct as to -the result of the election. The cable message was inaccurate. Ho is quite mistaken, however, as to the view which should be taken of the result of the contest.. Summing up the situation, the "Sydney Morning Herald" published the accompanying facts and comments which should be of general interest:—"Often, in politics," it remarks, "one has to watch the movements of the metaphorical straw for guidance as to which way the wind is blowing. The Sturfc election result is not a straw, it is a veritable haystack,. whoso movements proclaim to the least observant that the P.L.L. has lost its grip of the general constituency. 'To win by 500, votes at Broken Hill,' runs the report, 'shows that there must be something wrong.' . There is something wrong; everything is wrong.'!-' There P.L.L. has forsaken not only the men, but the principles, which made it a power in politics, and with a. peculiarly bitter, irony it became the lot of the most militant industrialist centre in the State to proclaim tlie fact in no uncertain way. This can best be appreciated by glancing at the records of the State elections for the "past 9 o . years, since first the P.L.L., as the P.L.L. began to return selected, endorsed, and pledged representatives to the Legislative Assembly. During the wholo of-that time, tlie electorate has been represented by Mr. J. H. Cann, recently removed from the political arena to share the burden of the administration oi the railway and tramway' systems of the State. For the whole time, the voting strength of the electorate may be* roughly estimated at about 10,000. Here is the record: 1891—Mr. Cann, unopposed. 1894—Cann, 1123; Brown, 423. 1898—Cann, 1125; Hendry,lß2o 1901—Canu, 1281; Counsell, 89. 1904—Cann,. unopposed. 1907—Cann,'unopposed. 1910 —Cann, unopposed. 1913—Cann, unopposed. "Clearly, the P.L.L., during that quarter of a century, Tiad an absolutely hrm grip of the decorate. Opposition to its candidate was obviously treated as a joke. It should also be borne m mind that never before has it beon necessary to send speaks to Broken Hill to support tlio 7.L.L. candidate. This time the leader of the party, Sir. Durack, spent nearly a fortnight there. Now, contrast the previous >25 years' record with that of last Saturday:— Brookfteld (P.L.L. endorsed) 3296 Doe (Independent Labour) ... 2726 "Two facts stand out. First, that nearly five times as many people voted as ever voted before for 25 years; and, second, that the P.L.L. candidate, with the assistance of the leader of the party and the executive of tlie organisation, had to fight for liTs life. No political party could refuse to recogniso such evidence of lost prestige as this."]