BRISBANE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

Evening Star, Issue 21745, 13 June 1934, Page 14

BRISBANE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

TO THE EDITOR. ,

Sir, —Mr A. J. Morrison’s letter does not explain the reason why in Queensland, where a Labour Government is in power, Mr F. W. Paterson, the Communist, scored 8,262 votes when he contested the ’ Brisbane mayoral elections against the Labour nominee, Mr A. J. Jones, who was elected Lord Mayor. With a Labour Government iu office, which aims at employing the workless, it is obvious its aims would be better realised by the election of, a Labour Lord Mayor and a Labour council, which would co-ordinate with the Government in finding employment and not try to discredit it for political reasons, as a Tory council had been suspected of. doing by its failure to relieve distress in a satisfactory manner. Ono would naturally think therefore, that all humanitarians would vote for Mr Jones, to achieve the end aimed at, backed as he was by his sane and wellreasoned. well-delivered, practical programmes: 1 Yet 8,262 votes went for The Communist candidate. Mr Jones had the great Brisbane Labour daily, tlie ’ Standard ’ spreading liis speeches over a couple of pages, so he had not to rely on what Labour people call the •‘great suppress,” owned by anti-La-bourites. He had, as can bo seen, what the Communists call the great Labour “ sop-press,” that suppressed every message Mr Paterson gave to the electors. As Mr Jones is one of the ablest men in Queensland,- and has held Cabinet rank in the M'Cormack -Government. the 8.262 votes polled against him by a Communist brings out m greater belief the remarkable growth in the Communist vote, which cannot be lightly brushed aside., Neither can it be put down to the Communist getting the Lang vote, because Langism is practically non-existent in Queensland, and any way, the Communists denounce Langism because of its-futility and side-stepping as ruthlessly as they do the Federal Labour Party for its economy plan, and for its sops for economic ills. The vote is either a definite protest against the insufficiency of Labour’s programme, or showing lack of faith in the Labour nominee selected, oh it is a definite sign of Communist growth. I am inclined to the belief that it was due partly to lack of faith in Mr Jones because of his association with the M'Cormack Labour Government. That Government, it was said, failed to live up to its principles so far as the railway men were concerned, and when a strike-in-volving sugar workers and railwaymen insulted from failure to adjust grievances by constitutional means, the M.'Cnrmaek Government was _ cheered to the echo by the Tory politicians and the Tory Press. But, though the Tories spoled them on when the Government suppressed the strikers with all the forces of law and order, they did not'vote for them when the next election came around. Labour forfeits faith when it is found going to tho plutocratic parties and metaphorically saying, “ Speak '' lord, / thy ■ servant hearetli. we act according to thy will.”

.At the last election Mr Jones was defeated by the Labour leagues at the selection ballot, as workers lost faith and thought a Labour member should net in accordance with the will of the workers when they were fighting plutocracy. and not according to plutocracy’s will. Mr Jones, however, secured the Labour selection as mayoral candidate, and the movement boldly proclaimed that the alternative was between Labour and Tory,; and those opposed to Toryism must vote for Mr Jones. But those who lost faith in Mr Jones and who had no time for the Tories, of whom they had had a sickener, claimed that the Communist candidate was. an alternative to Toryism. They knew he could be. relied on to side with the workers in their historic fights. To show that the Queensland railwaymen are still dissatisfied with the Queensland Labour Party’s failure to redress grievances, f enclose two clippings, which you may give Mr Morrison, taken from their paper, the ' Advocate. 1 If Mr Morrison wishes, I will forward him some copies of the paper especially dealing with railwaymen’s grievances. Labour’s sops may be better than nothing, or better even than Tory reaction, but the alternative of a Communist candidate is a hope Labour’s failure to redress grievances forces many to entertain. It can lie seen therefore that Labour is insisting on its principles being adhered to,, and legitimate grievances being adjusted. The Communist movement in Queensland rallied the votes of those who had a genuine grievance, saved their political souls, gave them an inspiring hope of future emancipation, and saved those discontented with Labour’s shortcomings from the awful crime of giving a vote for a Tory which may politically damn them hereafter.—s am, etc., June 12. Ovebl.vnd.