SYDNEY’S BUSY YEAR

Hokitika Guardian, 25 February 1925, Page 1

SYDNEY’S BUSY YEAR

ELECTIONS AND PAGEANTS

SYDNEY, Feb. 11

Sydney is now bracing itself for an exceedingly busy year. The splendid season and the high prices obtained for wool and wheat have brought to the city large numbers of people with wellfilled purses who are spending freely, and give promise for the record success of the first big event —the Easter Show. But wo seem destined this year to mix pleasure with politics. The Show in any. case will find ns right in the throes of the State general election campaign, and jt is possible that it may almost clash with a short special session of the State House. Ministers are decidedly weakening in their expressed determination to hold this for the purpose of passing the legislation against the No Temere decree, which was rejected by the Upper -House last session. Some consider that it would lie highly unwise to hold such a session on the eve of tlie election, whilst others are anxious to press the measure through while the Nationalists’ hold on Parliament is secure, realising that the Labour Party, with its large Catholic element, would not dream of any such measure. To pass it would involve appointments to the Upper House, and this, as it purely political expedient, is never very popular. Many Nationalists feel that it will he better to put the whole of the party’s strength into the election campaign, which has already commenced, than dissipate any of it in a contest in the House. They urge that the irreconcilable methods and obvious Bolshevik tendencies exhibited by the extremists amongst the seamen’s and waterside workers’ troubles, which are still with us, have created a favourable atmosphere for the return of the Nationalists, and thee urge that the best advantage should be taken of this. It is also pointed out that a had psychological effect would he made by a rusligd special session giving the impression that the party was anxious to get all it could because it knew that its days were numbered. Better, they say. to abandon the special session "and "display a buoyant confidence in being able to pass whatever legislation is wanted when the now 1 mlinment assembles. However, these matters the party will decide, Ministers having decided to leave the matter in its hands. With the Show and the State election over we shall he thinking about the visit of the American Meet, and elaborate preparations are to < be made for its entertainment. Then there is a prospect of the Federal general election following on Inter in the year. The start of serious work on the "bridge, and tile rapid advance that is now being mooted to liohl a great international exhibition for the opening of the bridge in 1930. and it is expected that this will he privately discussed during another great event of this year—the meeting of the Empire Press Congress, which will attract some of the Empire’s foremost journalists to the city. Their opinion on such a project, it is considered, will lie most valuable.