PARTY SQUABBLES.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 June 1924, Page 4

PARTY SQUABBLES.

niVIIM: ANTi i.Aft'M i:. SYi.'NK'i. Jiim- tW. '( iik pending election in Vii• t <• i i:■. following tin- li-Miiin.ii! >n cl Parliament .several nn-iitlis earlier 11 nt ll would liitvt' Id-i-ii tin- ease li.-i-l it nn: its n:i 1 tirtil coin ■-... !:;!■• I)i-i-ii brought about I>y the ■■|U.il;li!:-s 1,-t ween tin- Nationalists and t!:.’ Country I‘iirty wln-h lor -»-vi-r;-1 year.-- have li <-n ii.{-■:ili--.t> d in aimo.-l every political sphere ihriuignoiit An tralia. The tln-nry that tln-iv is same sharp ami unbridg.ible ilivision between city ami country interests jil'iilies. in the minds of some country politician', the maintenance of an impossible stale ol dis'.iniiy in anti-laihuiir forces, ami altlloHitli the ciiiiscijtt.-iices have In-ell demonstrated in West Au-tralia ansi Pmtli Am.tralia in recent months, many inirncial-h- members ol the \ ietorin n Farmers' I'nioii will not hear of any p-rni.-.n-'iit under-landing which would iissiue t-ie eleelors of a lint* tind stahle (oi-.vruiiicut in (he event el an-ti-I.ah nil' I*■ i ll pc again returned. There are many iiidieatians that the rails and tile of el-i-iors neither io'l nv nor have air. patience with the rather intangible differences which keep the anti-lad 'ii:r (Jovernnients pert ctuaily on i> |an-.i!er maoar.ine. and, in Vivtnria. that fact Inis produced the curious speetaele not merely ol a divided anti-l.'ihour parly, hut ol a sharp internal division within the I'ouiiliy l’arty itself, one side supporting a p-ermaiient understanding and the other setting itself ngainsL any understanding whatsoever that does not (rive it a nmjoiity in the Cabinet. 'I la-

real root of the dissensions in Victoria

its elsewhere, appears to lie more p.-r----soaal that national, the leaders who support an undci-tanding being pretty sure that the only hope they t hcinselves have of ofliee is to prove intractable until they form a breakaway. and eventually licentiate. Snell a stale of perpetual llttx and bickering gives the l.abour Party hopes that it will ha aide to repeat in Victoria, and later in the Commonwealth and Now South Wales, its signal successes in the West and South. Mr Lawson, ns Premier of Victoria, a few months ago made a bold gesture following the farmers 1 resolution limiting the slender understanding to tinlife of tlie present Parliament, lie resigned and formed a purely Nationalist Government, but thereafter Ids flowers were so restricted by being unable to rely upon the Country Party support that the position was impassible, lie handed over the Administration to Sir Alexander Peacock, and himself fought the Speakership, but was defeated through the combined vote of the Country and Labour Parties. Dissolution soon followed, and the election will take place oil June 2t»tli. At the moment the Nationalists and Country party confront each other with drawn swords, but there are influential elements on each side wTiieh are still hopeful of presenting some '■ort of a united front to the electors, even if it only amounts to an under- I standing regarding the allocation ol the preference votes. It is impossible yet to say whether any eleventh hour agreement will he reached, hut ii it certain that one wing of the Country Pnrtv is strongly hostile.

It is expected that the recent tramway strike and the preceding f oliee mutiny will ho a powerful weapon against the Labour Party, and many observers expect that the state of parties will not be greatly changed, and that the new Parliament will be little less difficult to work than has been the expiring one. However, the factors outlined above have provided very fertile ground for Labour to work upon,

ami despite the handicap of strong public resentment nt the strikes it seems highly probable that they will gain very considerably in strength.