The Dominion WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1926. A PROTRACTED SQUABBLE

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 51, 24 November 1926, Page 10

The Dominion WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1926. A PROTRACTED SQUABBLE

The political existence of .Mr. Lang, Labour Premier of New South Wales, has not been a very happy one tor some considerable time past. He has had to fight opposition within his own party, and at one time narrowly escaped the loss of his position as Parliamentary leader. Now he has been forced to ask for an early dissolution. At this distance from the scene it is not easy to analyse the situation. So far as can be gathered, the New South Wales Labour Partv appears to be about equally divided over the Communist issue. .Mr. "Lang has been accused of having a strong leaning towards the extremist faction, while Mr. Loughlin, the leader of the party recalcitrants in Parliament, represents the moderate section. In Parliament Mr. Loughlin has proved himself to be a thorn in Mr. Lang's side, and in the latest crisis could quite easily have accomplished his rival’s defeat had it not been for the fact that the discomfiture of his rival would also have involved the defeat of his party. As it was, it was he, not the Opposition, who forced the Premier to agree to a dissolution. Having gained his ascendancy by pandering to the Reds, Mr. Lang has endeavoured to keep his following by attacking the Governor, the Upper House, and the Press. His attempt to abolish the State Governorship or, alternatively, to institute a system of local appointees, failed. He did not succeed in abolishing the Upper House. His attack on the Press took the form of an obnoxious tax, but the Budget proposals from which the attack was made have now been deferred till the public gives its vote at the coming elections. Mr. Lang has been regarded in his own political circle as a strong man. His performances, however, show that his is the strength of a noisy demagogue rather than that of a prescient statesman, The methods of the “big stick" are the special privilege of really big men: Mr. Lang is not a big man. Had he been a big man he could probably have carried his proposals by the sheer force of his personality, for be had a clear majority in Parliament. He has not even been big enough to resign. Further, he cannot be a very astute politician, otherwise be would have taken care to safeguard his position within the party before facing Parliament with proposals distinctly opposed to the sentiment of moderate opinion. The charge laid against the Labour administration by the leader of the Nationalists (Mr. Bavin), is one long indictment of extravagance. This is not an unusual feature of Labour government, which ■is put into office with specific instructions from its masters to do certain things, whether the circumstances arc favourable or not. Many of Labour's theories look very fine on paper, but when it comes to putting them into practice they arc apt to become very expensive, for the simple reason that they are economically impracticable. Mr. Lang's preference for the direct method has alarmed an influential section of his party, and split the rank’s. According to the signs, it begins to appear that his leadership may be drawing to a close—that as a measure of political salvation the party may be forced to dethrone him. Unless, however, the Nationalist campaigning organisation has very much improved, it is quite possible that Labour, by sheer force of its voting efficiency, may win the forthcoming election.