FEDERAL ELECTION

Hokitika Guardian, 12 March 1920, Page 4

FEDERAL ELECTION

COMMONWEALTH LABOUR PARTY. SYDNEY, Feb. 25. If the Labour Party wishes to retain its reputation as a great force in Australian life and progress, it should violently suppress some of the cranks who represent it in print. Here, for instance, are some of the proposals in the agenda paper of the forthcoming conference of the Victorian Labour Party Appointment of a committee representing the transport workers to safeguard Australia’s supply of necessary commodities. That no person be eligible for membership of the party who belongs to the Order of Freemasons, which is recognised as an international capitalistic and monarchastic society. That the Australian Prime Minister shall not leave Australian territory during his term of office. The provision of sustenance to Labour candidates who are contesting anti-Labour seats. That the Labour movement should nob be officially represented at any function arranged for the reception of the Prince of Wales.

That any reference to the religious beliefs of any candidate be an electoral offence.

That steps be taken to learn the methods of the Russian Soviet Government, and the true facts relating thereto, and, if found desirable from . the common people’s point of view, immediate steps be taken to establish a similar Government in Australia. That no member of a recognised secret society be permitted to hold an executive position in the party. The initiation of advanced propaganda to convince the so-called middleclasses that their interests are identical with those of the general body of workers.

NEW SOUTH WALES ELECTIONS SYDNEY, .Feb. 25.

The New South Wales election campaign is fairly under way, but nothing of outstanding interest has come out of it so far. A multiplicity of parties— Nationalists, Labour, Farmers, and Settlers, Progressives, Soldiers and Citizens, and Democrats (Roman Catholic organisation)—are whanging each other, but 99 per cent of the electors are cold. The view of the average man these days seems to be; (1) These State Parliaments are fiddling little things that cost money, and ought to be wiped out. (2) There are so many political parties that a man would want a week off to sort them out —and then there would lie little choice between them. (3) Politics and politicians are the curse of this country, anyhow; a pest on all their houses. (4) There’s plenty of money to be made, so why worry about politics. All the men of capacity, who ought to be running the eountrv, are deeply and eagerly involved in industry and commerce, with a motor-car and week-end villa clearly in sight; while the cranks and the bumbles, who ought to bo sternly suppressed at this time of national reconstruction are talking themselves into -Parliament. About the last act of the Government, before Parliament ended, was to appoint Mr I). R. Hall to be AgentGeneral in London. This, really, was “the limit.” A Government about to face the electors, with every prospect of defeat, has no right to appoint one of its own members to such a position. There might have been excuse-had Mr Hall been a man of outstanding qualifications.

The Premier has set off to cover his wide electorate per aeroplane. It is in exactly such operations that the aeroplane is to prove of tremendous value to this country of wide spaces, but it has not yet been used as Mr Holman proposes to use it. He proposes to speak in two or three places a day by means of the machine. If all goes well, he will have given aviation a great lift forward in this country. -But his plan is nevertheless a nervy one, for there is no doubt that he is taking a considerable personal risk. The Premier left with Ross Smith. He “dropped” in his electorate, and from there will set off in a small ’plane hired for the occasion. The great VickersYimy, on this flight to Cootamundra, carried six men—five in addition to the Premier.